Of Feathers And Fangs
by Avenger Hawk
Summary: Moonlight incites dark passions like a cold flame. Saving a life has many meanings, reasons and consequences. For both the saved and the savior. The sun's descent into darkness and the moon's drowning into oblivion. Snippets of an obsession. Darkfic. Narusasu (image by えいち, used with permission)
1. Moonlight

**_This is the first time I write Narusasu._**

 ** _I have mixed feelings about it, meaning that I have my own vision of it, that it's different and darker from most fans'._**

 ** _Also because of this I never planned to write a fic for them, my current and future writing projects being enough already, but when inspiration strikes it's impossible to ignore it._**

 ** _This chapter is written with in mind, although very loosely, tumblr Narusasu month's prompt for the first week, "Recovery"._**

 ** _(I blame Moonsuke for this...btw happy birthday! Hope you'll like this_ ~ _)_**

 ** _This is supposed to happen before the events described in "In The Dark"._**

 ** _It also means that this fic is dark. There's the whole unhealthy pack: obsessive/possessive feelings, guilt tripping and emotional manipulation, also dark-ish non graphic smut, with a clear distinction between top and bottom. So if you're looking for a romantic fic or a cute one where they call the other with nicknames, or something with a positive outlook on their relationship (or on Konoha!), you might not want to read this._**

 ** _It should not even be specified but I always supported Sasuke and will always do, so anything contradicting this in my writing, is the character's opinion and not mine._**

 ** _I also specify that I like dark Naruto and I like dark Narusasu, so even though I'm aganst the ending, I like its dark potential. (I am not talking about canon pairings. to say that I hate those is an understatement...)_**

 ** _More notes below._**

* * *

 ** _Part 1: Moonlight_**

* * *

 _I want to hold you close  
_ _Skin pressed against me tight  
_ _Lie still, and close your eyes girl  
_ _So lovely, it feels so right (She Wants Revenge, Tear You Apart)_

* * *

Jiraiya used to complain that the first sign of getting old was waking up at night for no reason and not being able to fall back asleep. For Naruto, this only happened after the war.

The first time he wakes up to an insistent light shining right in his face.

Although he is used to sleep in a room with no window blinds, it's the first full moon since their return.

The room he shares with Sasuke is located in the oldest and most secluded area of the hospital, a measure taken for both their convenience and the other patients' safety, should they fight again, as Tsunade snarkily told them.

He turns around, changing position, unsuccessfully waiting for sleep to return.

In the meantime the light has changed direction and target: Naruto waits for Sasuke to wake up, even more annoyed as he was, but instead he keeps sleeping soundly.

Maybe it's because the Sage of Six Paths bestowed part of his power under the form of a moon marking on him, Naruto muses, looking at his own palm first, where the sun marking was, then at his friend, whose pale skin seems almost translucent under the silvery light.

It's not a good sign: while Kyuubi's chakra and his strong Senju body speed up Naruto's recovery, Sasuke doesn't have the same stamina and chakra reserve.

The blonde makes a mental note of joking about this tomorrow, when the nurse will come for their medicines, three for him and five for Sasuke. He'll call him Sasuke-chan, because he's delicate and needs more medicines, he grins to himself, also remembering that he admitted his loss, which means that he admitted that Naruto is stronger than him. Why couldn't he say it out loud though? Most of it all, why wait for tomorrow?

The blond gets off the bed and grabs Sasuke's sheets, ready to take them off and yell some nonsense to startle him awake, but he stops, because the boy makes a pained sound. Then another, then one more, wincing and furrowing his brows, opening his mouth as if he were about to say something but only letting out muffled whimpers that seem only the smallest portion of the agony he's in.

 _At times Naruto shakes, feeling occasional jolts of electricity in his severed arm. When he asked Sasuke about his arm instead, the Uchiha described the pain of his wound like a constant, burning, liquid ache that seemed to creep up his bones and seep through his skin. Tsunade explained that it's because Kyuubi's chakra is toxic to those who aren't its vessel, like an acid melting whatever it touches._

Kakashi once said that it's a common civilian belief, that whenever someone saves another's life, he's responsible for him forever, so it's only natural for him to watch over his friend.

Sitting beside him, Naruto wonders if Sasuke felt such pain every night, while he was soundly sleeping next to him.

* * *

The second time there's no light waking him up, only a dream that he forgets as soon as he opens his eyes and adjusts them to the darkness.

 _Outside the window there is no moonlight; inside the room the moon is asleep yet his slumber is troubled by pain and nightmares._

Hearing Sasuke's grunts and whimpers, Naruto leaves his bed and sits beside him, gently stroking his hair and whispering that he'll be ok soon, that he'll make sure of it, only going back to sleep once he calmed down.

 _Sasuke is really beautiful, he finds himself thinking, as he moves the bangs haphazardly covering parts of his forehead and eyes to see more of him, his high cheekbones, his thin nose, his long lashes, his slightly parted lips that move faintly as if he were talking to someone in a dream. He also finds himself wishing that someone were him._

It soon becomes a habit. Or a ritual.

During the day Sasuke doesn't sleep.

Naruto imagined that they would catch up on lost time, but the Uchiha is always quiet, mostly observing the many who visit his roommate, or the few who come for him -Kakashi and Tsunade, followed by Shizune and Sakura.

He replies to Naruto's questions and he makes sarcastic remarks when he says something stupid, but he never asks him anything or initiate a conversation.

It's not that odd though: unlike Naruto who, occasional shooting pains aside is healing so well that medics are already planning his new arm, the Uchiha looks like he's in extreme pain even when he's awake, despite he does his best to keep it to himself.

Unlike Naruto, restless because of the lack of activity, he doesn't seem to mind staying in bed, retreated in his own mind.

 _Naruto assumes that it's because he has no other place to stay, outside._

 _He also notices that his friend doesn't mind being stripped, poked and prodded by the medics either, and he assumes it's because Orochimaru and Kabuto did experiments on him. Or other things. Or both._

 _The thought of Sasuke being at their mercy makes the blond's blood boil._

At night, as Sasuke tosses and turns, his drug induced slumber not being enough to keep the pain away from him, Naruto lies beside him, affectionately stroking him as if he were a child having a nightmare, taking in the all the details of his beautiful face. And body, because Sasuke's movements always throw the sheets away and loosen the hospital robe, revealing his pale chest, the ridges and hollows of his stomach, and the jutting hipbones.

 _He always traces the scar Madara left on him._

 _His heart beats faster when he does; maybe it's because Sasuke could have died because of it. Maybe because he could have joined the Uchiha's side, again, like that he followed Obito and left him alone, even though he had opened his heart to him._

 _Maybe it's because it's a part of Sasuke's body._

He never felt anything like the uncontrollable urge that pushes his fingers towards the other's body. Resisting is impossible, so he gives in, his touch light, almost unnoticeable at first, then more confident, tracing every inch of the skin his eyes memorized so well.

Each night the urge grows stronger and hungrier, bringing along an unnamed anguish, because despite being so close they're on two different worlds, like the moon and the sun, because Naruto is not there, inside his dream and his deepest self, because despite being back he's still so distant, just like he was in the past, when he only ran away from him, and the only times he turned towards him was to kill him.

Or try to, because he never did it. He protected him instead.

Naruto remembers when he was hit by a berserk Gaara and Sasuke lunged between him and a tree trunk. It was an unnecessary gesture, as he wouldn't have been fatally injured anyway, but it spoke volumes about how selfless his friend was.

Naruto still remembers the feeling of his back being cushioned by Sasuke's bony chest.

He still remembers every time their bodies came into contact.

How despite being a little taller Sasuke seemed so weightless in his arms, after having shielded him from Haku's needles.

How his fists hit hard against his skull and mouth and teeth, and they hit harder against his gut, flexed to minimize the impact of Naruto's pummeling, until, too tired to control his body's reactions, the blond's punch hit him deep, making him spit a copious amount of blood.

How his body was warmer as if he were running a fever, when he pinned him to the ground, trying to change his mind about leaving the village to follow Orochimaru.

Naruto felt so dejected when he woke up in a hospital room like this one, alone, after failing to retrieve him.

He tells himself that he didn't fail this time. That he made it, he really brought him back. That Sasuke is here, beside him, his pale body asleep in the darkness, yet he can't shake away the fear and a blind anger creeping over him, as if his friend might leave again, as if he weren't even there, as if his dreams were taking him far away again, and the only thing he can do is ground him with his weight so he won't be escape, so he won't be taken away from all the things he followed instead of staying here with him.

 _Even if it was just one thing. Or rather, one person. Itachi, whom his life revolved around in the past, like the Moon to the Earth, whom he's afraid he might follow again, even in his dreams, if he doesn't weigh him down, keeping him pressed against the mattress, making him gasp at the sudden contact._

 _He could be less forceful but he hasn't woken up after all, Naruto tells himself straddling Sasuke's abdomen._

 _Besides, it's for his own good. He's just taking care of him; he_ _saved his life so he's responsible for him forever_ _._

It feels almost the same as that time at the Valley of the End, yet it's also different, as despite his lithe tautness, his body is relaxed.

 _Sasuke shakes and squirms slightly, Naruto can't tell if it's for the pain or a nightmare or both. It surely isn't because of him, he reassures himself, the Uchiha's movements beneath him making him feel something unexpected._

What's even more different is that this time Sasuke isn't trying to push him off, thus Naruto enjoys every moment as he traces the boy's collarbone, his smooth chest, his pink nipples, and the more he touches the more he wants to touch, so he brushes over his stomach and sides, lowering his waistband until he sees his pubic hair, his hand going up and down from his navel to his neck, as he rests Sasuke's unresponsive groin.

Naruto is hard, instead, because of his friend's tossing and turning beneath him, because of his pained expression and his parted lips and the sounds that escape them, and controlling himself is impossible because all he can see is the unaware body lying beneath him, all he can feel is the need for release, all he can do is stroke himself, pumping his cock while sitting atop his one and only friend, his robe around the tip so not to soil him.

* * *

It happens every night.

Naruto crawls out of his bed and on top of Sasuke, each time bolder than the previous one.

With the precarious balance that comes using only one hand, aroused by the movements and sounds of his troubled sleep, he sloppily grinds against him, his mouth brushing over his jaw and neck, only careful not to leave signs, and when he's done he returns to his bed, finally able to sleep.

 _Moonlight incites dark passions like a cold flame, Jiraiya used to say._

 _These words used to sound like babbling to Naruto, like every other piece of poetry; now they sound like a confession, for it all started because of a moonbeam._

During the day nothing much happens.

Naruto is careful not to stare at Sasuke for too long, because there are moments, when he stretches or cranes his neck or changes clothes, that he can't help but compare his muscles twitching and flexing in the sun, with the way they appear under the moon's silvery light.

 _He feels powerful because he has a secret life involving the one whom he chased after for years, until they fought and he finally admitted defeat, thus meaning that he is the strongest._

 _He feels powerful because it's almost as if he owns Sasuke._

 _Knowing something that his former rival doesn't almost makes up for the fact that Sasuke isn't really in his grasp yet, because no matter how many times he masturbates over him, the Uchiha is somewhere else._

When they are allowed to walk around the hospital Naruto almost drags Sasuke out by force. There are beautiful plants in the garden, and many trees that make a pleasant shadow.

The roof brings back nostalgic memories.

 _It's Sasuke who speaks first._

" _You didn't notice? Your rasengan was stronger than my chidori. I had lost to you...even that time." He admits, sincerely, the first time they climb the stairs, before whispering an apology._

They're on the rooftop again when Sakura joins them, followed by Kakashi -his mask conveniently hiding a certain apprehension because he remembers too- to announce that Naruto could be dismissed soon, if he agrees to come to the hospital every day, for his treatment.

The blond is ecstatic but he demands that Sasuke leaves with him.

 _It took him so long to bring Sasuke back, that he's not going to leave without him._

 _It took him so long to bring Sasuke back, that he's not going to live without him._

There's nothing to worry about, they'll live together, he'll tend after him, he assures, not giving the other a chance to reply, or a saying in the matter.

 _Sasuke shrugs when he says so, but he doesn't object because he, too, remembers that old mission with Team 7, and what Naruto mentions about civilians thinking that_ _whenever someone saves another's life, he's responsible for him forever_ _._

 _He remembers it differently, but he went through so much after that long past day that he trusts his friend's memory better._

Kakashi intervenes: Sasuke's conditions are still too serious to leave. Besides, for Konoha and its neighbouring countries he is still considered a criminal whose case must be discussed. It's better for him to stay in the hospital.

Sasuke calmly states that he already figured that out, but Naruto protests against the unfair treatment his friend is destined to face. He promised Itachi that he would take care of Sasuke, and he promised Sasuke that he would help him change the village, and he never goes back on his word.

That night, more restless and worried than usual, he straddles Sasuke's hips and runs his fingers over his ribs, not noticing that the whimpers escaping the boy's lips and his shaking are stronger than usual.

 _Or maybe he does notice._

 _Nevertheless he feels that he just needs to steady him down, to ground him into the mattress -and into reality, although he doesn't know, as asleep as he is._

 _Sasuke really needs him. He's all alone, he has no one else but him, and even Itachi knew, that's why he entrusted him with his care, and Naruto intends to honor his promise to the older Uchiha. He will protect him, he won't let anyone hurt him._

 _He won't let anyone take Sasuke away from him either, Naruto repeats in his mind, trying to steady himself down too, even though he feels that he's floating adrift in a whirlpool of fear and anger, every time he looks at Sasuke's wide shut eyes, a constant reminder that his friend is somewhere else, so far away that his hands can't reach him._

Until a pair of onyx black eyes suddenly open beneath him.

* * *

Sasuke wakes up abruptly. The information Kakashi provided and their implication on his future goal weighed on his mind, and together with the nightmares and the usual pain in his stub they chased him out of the semblance of rest where he retreats every night.

His eyes dart back and forth, sharingan spinning in his right eye, his breath short, his fist clutching the sheet.

It takes him a little while to realize that the weight pressing his body into the mattress is real.

It takes him a little more to realize that the one sitting on top of him isn't a nightmarish creature, even though there's an eerie reddish glow around it, even if its pupils are inhuman vertical slits, even if its chakra is just as heavy as his body.

 _Feelings of powerlessness and fear always summoned Kyuubi's chakra to protect Naruto, whether he wanted it or not. Sasuke remembers seeing the blond in that form, completely shielded by heavy red chakra, crouching and ready to pounce on him, a feral grin as if he would enjoy tearing him apart._

It's not a monster, it's his one and only friend, the one who didn't let him sink into the eternal darkness and solitude that he was ready to face, in order to achieve the justice and peace that Itachi dreamed of.

 _Sasuke wouldn't have minded dying by Naruto's hand, after having admitted his loss, after having cut off his arm. Yet Naruto spared him._

 _He even promised he'd help him change the world, and he trusted him, because he was alone and Naruto showed him how Itachi had trusted him, and his brother was perfect so he trusted him too._

"What are you doing?"

He asks, with a calm that not many would show, were they in his position.

 _Probably because he's used to be stripped and poked and prodded, Naruto thinks -or rather, feels, as a sensory impulse more than a rational thought._

 _The very idea of Sasuke being at the mercy of those beasts turns him into an even beastlier creature, a flare of chakra growing his tails out._

 _Ot maybe it just happens at the idea of him being watched and touched by hands that aren't his own._

 _Chakra fangs dig into Sasuke's side. Naruto doesn't realize. Sasuke doesn't react._

"I…I don't want you do leave."

"Leave for where? I'm not even allowed to leave the hospital...And what does it have to do with _this_? "

He replies, faster than his usual, worry about the future seeping through his words.

 _He doesn't care about his future. Only about his goal, that Naruto promised to help him with._

When the other doesn't speak, but doesn't stop staring at him either, he adds:

"Besides, you defeated me, Naruto."

 _Isn't it enough? Sasuke wonders._

When he's done talking he squirms, a clear sign of wanting the other to move.

"Now get off me."

He says, looking straight in Naruto's eyes.

He tries to push him away but the blond grabs his wrist. The sudden movement makes him lose balance though, so he ends up pinning Sasuke by the arm, leaning heavily against his body. It's impossible, for the Uchiha, to not notice that the other is hard.

"Since the day you left I only thought of bringing you back. It was my first and last thought every single day. Even when everyone else just wanted to forget about you, even when they wanted me to move on I just couldn't."

Sasuke tilts his head slightly, observing the blonde who seems off, somehow, at the same time unfocused and too focused.

"I'm so happy that you're back that I succeeded, bringing you back. Sometimes I feel like my heart might burst out because now you're here, next to me. It's like living together. I worked so hard for this. I wanted you back so badly..."

He smiles. Sasuke would be reminded of their past in Team 7, if only he weren't showing signs of Kyuubi's form, turning his smile into a lopsided grin, especially when it changes again.

"But still...even though you're so close to me I feel like you're not here with me..."

His look becomes darker, in a way that the Uchiha can't understand.

"I really want to be close to you, Sasuke. I really need to be close to you."

Naruto growls, grinding against the other's lower stomach. Sasuke's instinctive reaction would be to glare and push him away, but he stays quiet instead.

"Why?"

He asks, tilting his head. Naruto stops, trying to look for the right words.

"Your brother entrusted you to me...He thought I would be able to help you...to save you, and I made it. I saved you and now I'm responsible for you forever...but I can't take care of you if I'm not close to you..."

"Why are you doing _this_?"

Sasuke asks again, this time visibly frustrated.

 _Why is Naruto mentioning Itachi? Is it like during their final fight, when Sasuke explained his ideas and he said that he was wrong and that he misunderstood his brother?_

"Because...it feels good," Naruto finally replied, grinding against the other again, his eyes blue again, Kyuubi's chakra weaker but still there, its tails well visible behind him, "Because it makes me feel like I'm closer to you...and you are...the one I care about the most..."

Naruto cares about him, so much that he intends to take care of him. So he said.

 _He even told Kakashi and Sakura, and in doing so he mentioned that civilian thing, that_ _whenever someone saves another's life, he's responsible for him forever_ _._

 _Sasuke remembers it differently: he's sure that Kakashi said that w_ _henever someone saves another's life, he belongs to him forever_ _._

 _Trusting his friend's memory, like he did at first, seemed a bad choice, as he had always been terrible both with notions and passwords._

 _Besides does he really matter? Shouldn't it matter more that Naruto worked hard to get him back, that he never gave up on him, that he cares about him?_

 _His life belongs to Naruto anyway, because he defeated him, because he spared him, because he picked him up when he just wanted to die, because he promised to help him end all injustice._

"Naruto...will you keep your promise?"

He asks, his look determined.

"Of course! I never go back on my word. Especially to you...I told you, haven't I? If you suffer, I suffer too."

Naruto looks just as determined. And strong, his square jaw slightly tense, like his muscular chest, whose earthy tone takes an unusual shade under the faint moonlight, and his flexed arm, still gripping his wrist.

 _Kyuubi's chakra finally reined in, Sasuke wonders if his brother entrusted him to Naruto because he's strong, or because he cares about him -and if it makes any difference._

"Then...go on, Naruto."

Sasuke says, turning his head.

His voice is barely audible, yet the blond hears him distinctly, enough to roll his hips again, as his mouth attacks the Uchiha's throat.

* * *

His body getting used to the medications, Sasuke's sleep becomes so much lighter that he wakes up every time Naruto climbs on his bed, with a piercing look and confused desires, trying to reach his very soul, touching him all over, kissing and biting and licking and sucking.

Sasuke lies beneath him, open and pliant, at times observant, others absent, like a beautiful doll whose gaze is fixed on the distant horizon.

Whenever this happens Naruto drowns into the whirlpool of sadness and anger and confusion that he frantically struggles to escape from, grabbing him sloppily and turning his head towards him, clawing at his waist and hips, grinding into him harder, ramming into him deeper, because he can't stand when his friend doesn't look at him, because for years he worked hard to get him back, because they fought a war side by side, because they fought each other and he won, because he's responsible for his life now, but he can't take good care of him if he doesn't have his complete focus.

Sasuke's body isn't as responsive and eager as Naruto's, maybe because of the drugs he's given, maybe because he's been through so much that certain things just aren't in his mind, yet he moves in synch with his friend and arches his back against him.

The deeper contact always drives the blond crazy with lust.

 _Or bloodlust, that drives him in a frenzy, trying to elicit any kind of reaction, of lust or pain it doesn't matter, as long as Sasuke acknowledges him as the one who's doing that to him, as the one who breaks every boundary between them, as the only one able to reach him. Or to reach deeper into him._

"Why do you let me do this?"

Naruto asks him once, his fingers intertwined with Sasuke's, pressing his hand against the bed's headboard.

"Isn't it what you want?"

Sasuke readily replies, his expression unreadable as he looks up towards the blond boy looming over him, his knees encasing his shoulders.

Once again, Naruto's look becomes focused and unfocused at the same time.

"Answer me!"

He screams, his pupil turning into slits, a sign that Kyuubi's chakra is flaring back to life.

"Because I lost to you..."

Sasuke sighs.

 _He lost indeed. Naruto's words destroyed his arguments, just like his blows destroyed his body, until he almost bled to death. They both did, but instead of hating him Naruto reassured him, saying that despite his ideas were wrong he would help him create peace, as long as it fit Naruto's idea of it, but it didn't matter because peace was peace, he thought back then, as tired and confused and overwhelmed as he was, by all the emotions that he had let out during their fight, so much that his rival's words seemed to make more sense than ever. They seemed bright, like the sun rising over them, like his friend's hair._

 _They seemed to announce a fresh new start, like the clear blue sky above them, like his friend's eyes._

"Because it takes the focus away from the pain..."

He whispers, looking away, as if he were embarrassed to be in such pain, while Naruto is recovering so quickly.

 _It's a nostalgic feeling, somehow, not being able to keep up with someone else._

"Because you _promised_..."

He adds, a faint smile when Naruto nods to confirm his promise.

 _He looks mature and strong and reliable, as he does, Sasuke thinks. It doesn't matter if his feral side is threatening him, it doesn't matter if his grip is so strong that he can't feel his hand, almost._

"This is why. You can do whatever you want to me."

 _It's a complete and utter submission. It's not exactly the reaction that Naruto wants, but maybe it's even better, something inside him says._

 _It's hard to tell if it's Kyuubi or his own self._

Sasuke ends his explanation by parting his lips for Naruto's erect, impatient cock, directed towards him.

The Uchiha lets the other fuck his mouth relentlessly and mercilessly, his hand nailed against the headboard, his head hitting the bars over and over.

It's a strange feeling, being caught between a warm, muscular body and the cold metal, being taken care of but at the time struggling to breathe.

 _Because Naruto cares about him, that's why he tries so hard to reach him, that's why he gets so loud and violent when he doesn't react to him. It's only logical, after all the time he spent trying to get him back, Sasuke tells himself._

His black messy hair brush the jinchuuriki's stomach; Naruto would love to stroke them, he would love to hold Sasuke's head as he rams his cock deep into his mouth but he only has one arm and he doesn't want to let go of the other's hand.

 _What if he escapes if he does?_

He'll soon have his arm back though. He can't wait for that moment, when he'll finally be able to hold the Uchiha properly.

When he comes, he exhales Sasuke's name, like every time. He can't help it, when his friend is so enticing, his beauty so natural and perfect, his lithe body looking like it could break under him even though he knows its strength very well, his pitch black eyes that seem to suck him in, yet repel it when he gets too close, even when they're watery because he just deep throated him.

Naruto licks a pearly droplet on Sasuke's mouth, tasting himself.

 _It's not just himself. It's the taste of having Sasuke back, of having him for himself._

 _It's the taste of owning Sasuke._

He gets off the bed and brings him some water, not without admiring, again, the sight of the pale boy looking exhausted and vulnerable, like every time after he's done with him, and like every time it's him who readjusts the Uchiha's night clothes or pulls the sheets on him.

Not that he minds: he made a promise to Itachi and he intends to keep it.

Besides, he loves to take care of Sasuke. He loves to be responsible for his life forever.

It's almost as if Sasuke belongs to him.

* * *

Being in a secluded area of the hospital, with seals outside their room to not let their chakra outside, is safer for other patients and convenient for them but it doesn't mean they're completely free, or undetectable.

Today Naruto is the village hero, tomorrow he'll become the Seventh Hokage: he's too important to be left alone and without surveillance with the rebellious Uchiha, who despite having helped in the war is still an S-rank criminal, with an order to be killed on sight.

Thus Kakashi sees _everything_.

He doesn't do anything about it though; he found and then lost his best friend again during the war, and once back in Konoha mourning and regret start all over again.

Besides, Tsunade beat him to it.

Seeing the extent of Naruto's obsession, she understands that if she doesn't take action the boy won't be able to fulfill his dream, the same that Nawaki and Dan had. She can't let him screw up his life for someone like Sasuke, with whom she would deeply empathize, if she wasn't too tired to care about anyone who's not her family. Or almost as such.

Thus, instead of revealing the truth about the Uchiha massacre, her latest act as Hokage is authorizing Sasuke's imprisonment.

 _She'll lose Naruto's trust but his safety is more important._

 _After all, Itachi did the same for Sasuke._

Kakashi too saw the extent of Naruto's obsession, so he doesn't object the Fifth Hokage's decision, even though he figured out a better solution.

As her successor he will pardon the Uchiha anyway, although not immediately.

He must fix Naruto first.

Make him understand that Sasuke's jail time is necessary to placate the allied countries' hostility against him, and to prove that Konoha is a strong village and so are its rulers, not just the Sixth Hokage Hatake Kakashi, but also the Seventh, Uzumaki Naruto.

 _Using the boy's need to be acknowledged by everyone, make him understand that he is the village hero now, that everyone looks up to him, and surely he doesn't want them to think he's weaker than Sasuke, especially not after he defeated him and brought him back._

 _He doesn't want them to think that he isn't able to keep his friend in check: when another Hokage failed to do so, the result was the massacre. And Sasuke. So if Naruto really wants to help him he must leave things be until he becomes Hokage himself._

 _Or rather, if he wants his childhood dream to become a reality, if he wants to help Sasuke change the system, he mustn't talk about the massacre or complain about his friend in jail._

Shift his focus on studying to become a proper Hokage.

On getting his arm back. And his sanity. A part of it, at least.

He doesn't need to be perfectly sane, only to look like he is. No strong shinobi really is. They just learn to keep their dark side hidden to the world.

Kakashi knows well that Naruto's obsession will never go away, but he can live with it just fine.

He just needs to understand that things are no longer the way they used to be.

He is no longer the cursed boy that everyone hated and Sasuke is no longer the prodigy that everyone admired. In fact, it's the opposite.

Most of it all, no matter what happens, Sasuke will never really leave him.

Sasuke belongs to Naruto, who marked his body with his nails and teeth, fangs and claws, who marked his mind with his words, and his heart with his needs.

Sasuke belongs to Naruto, he submitted out of guilt yet he did it willingly. Besides, has Naruto ever cared about reasons?

Sasuke belongs to him, that's all that matters.

He will always belong to him.

After all, like civilians say, once whenever someone saves another's life, that life belongs to him forever.

* * *

 _I want to hold you close  
_ _Soft breath, beating heart  
_ _As I whisper in your ear  
_ _I want to fucking tear you apart (She Wants Revenge, Tear You Apart)_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_

 _ **So it was Sasuke who remembered that thing Kakashi said correctly, not Naruto…**_ _ **I like recurring elements very much, that concept was one.**_ _ **It's also a way to show Sasuke being slowly brainwashed, even though in this fic it's way lighter than in In The Dark. It's a sort of gaslighting. He is being guilt tripped, so he tends to value his memory less than Naruto's.**_

 _ **I think that Naruto manipulated Sasuke a lot during the final fight. Maybe not on purpose but he did it anyway, for how I see it.**_

 _ **Speaking of which, my view on Narusasu isn't popular, both for its dynamic and their characterization.**_

 _ **As a Sasuke fan who supported all his actions and ideas since the beginning, I don't see him as "fallen in the darkness". I see him as pure and honest, using dark means to achieve his goals if needs be. Instead, I see Naruto as not that selfless. Not at all, actually. Just like the yin and yang symbol, Sasuke appears dark but he's bright and pure inside, and Naruto appears bright but he has a darkness inside.**_

 _ **To me his darkness is possessiveness over Sasuke, and need to be in control, not to mention his need to be liked by everyone, that makes him seem way more shallow than Sasuke, who's extremely loyal instead.**_

 _ **He also has an instinctual and feral side as it's shown many times. I wanted to capture that side of him, not to show him as malicious but to show his attraction for Sasuke growing into an obsession, in a sort of pure way, although his actions aren't exactly pure. A darker version of Twinge's "Little Beast of the Forest" sort of. Or of Goku and Sanzo from Gensoumaden Saiyuki. Goku in beastly form always reminds me of Naruto.**_

 _ **I see Naruto as a selfish person, very self centered because he has been alone too long and without guidance he makes everything about himself, only able to relate to others through similarities. Unlike Sasuke, who's never focused on himself, only on his own goals which are never about himself but for Itachi and the clan, and then, the world.**_

 _ **I have mixed feelings about this pairing. I only like a certain kind of Narusasu, I dislike sasunaru and I also dislike them "switching" because it's a dynamic I don't see as IC, as I explained in my blog:**_

 _ **avenger(-)hawk. (/)im(_)possibilities**_

 _ **avenger(-)hawk.**_ _ **(/)alovethatismorethanlove**_

 _ **I was drawn to NS quite early in the manga, although I preferred Kakasasu. I mostly loved (and still love) artists like Emi10/Rankai, Twinge and especially Engawaken, whose very dark stories with a desperate and possessive Naruto, and an apathetic broken Sasuke, resonated with me the most. Then I dropped this pairing because I preferred Itasasu and I still do, or rare pairings. The ending made me hate it for a long time, because of the way Naruto promised Sasuke to help him but then he dropped him like a kid bored with his toy.**_

 _ **When I watched the final fight animated I had even stronger feelings about Sasuke being emotionally manipulated by Naruto, trying to express his points in the logical way he always uses to express and enact his plans, and expected the same from Naruto, who instead pointed out his pain and emotional needs, and even worse, used Itachi against him, hinting that Sasuke didn't even know his own brother, unlike Naruto himself.**_

 _ **Then ep.479 showed Sasuke in jail while Naruto basking in popularity. It angered me but it also confirmed my opinion, as to me it looked exactly like Naruto taking advantage of Sasuke's troubled emotional state, guilt tripping him and dragging him back, where more guilt trip happened and then he was imprisoned and isolated. In this optic it's not even that weird that once he's out he doesn't speak of justice or Itachi anymore. It totally looks like he has been brainwashed. Even because of the way Kakashi lectures him before he leaves, and how he's surprised to see Naruto greeting him, as if they weren't best friends, as if he weren't worthy of Naruto's time.**_

 _ **Anyway, on another hand this looked really intriguing to me, really dark and gloomy, just like I see their relationship, just like I see Sasuke's personality after the ending, and Naruto's and Kakashi's. That's why I wrote In the Dark, that's why I love fanarts with that scenario and that's why overall I liked Shinden, because Sasuke looked just like I've always seen him, broken beyond repair, never forgetting Itachi.**_

 _ **I think that he would only submit to partners he considers strong enough, be it for love or to gain strength, or out of guilt. I also think that Sasuke is a masochist. In a pure, naive way, like I explained in my blog.**_

 _ **In other words, he is influenced by Itachi's actions. Itachi hurt him but it was to protect him, and he accepted this, because he loves Itachi more than anyone in the world and because he considers Itachi perfect. To me this means he would also fall for manipulations where the manipulator acted like it's for his own good, because it would subconsciously remind him of Itachi. Just like he fell for Naruto's promises and didn't hate him for not keeping them.**_

 _ **I don't think he's a second Hokage figure or something. He looks completely subordinate to Naruto in Gaiden, and he looks submitted to him in Shinden, so what I see is that he has been guilt tripped so badly that he thinks he was wrong all along, and that he must live to atone for his sins. From a dark narrative point of view this is very intriguing. It's the narusasu I like, actually.**_

 _ **As a die hard Kakasasu shipper I hate to make him look bad, but I was inspired by canon, where Kakashi did nothing to help Sasuke, instead he lectured him with no empathy at all, making me think that he had a big part in his brainwashing (also see my darkfic In The Dark). Same for Tsunade, I like her but in canon she disappeared completely and Naruto even talked kind of ill about her, thus making me imagine a rift between them.**_

 _ **I think that Sasuke admires and respects strength, and that in a pairing contest he is attracted by it. Strength is what he admired as a kid, seeing his father and Itachi, and desired it, so that he would be worthy of being beside them, and strength is what he sought growing up, to achieve the goals thrown upon him. I headcanon him as having a low self esteem so he trains to improve himself, not to surpass others. he's not as competitive as some see him, unlike other character, even Naruto who wanted to surpass Sasuke instead.**_

 _ **Sasuke first thought Naruto wasn't strong, then he developed a complex against him because he was getting strong in a short time and Sasuke's progress was slower so not enough to have his revenge.**_

 _ **Jiraiya's quote comes from a writer called Ranpo Edogawa. The entire version is: "This is what I am talking about: the**_ _ **bewitching power of moonlight. Moonlight incites dark passions like a cold flame, making hearts burning with the intensity of phosphorus."**_

 _ **I referenced canon a lot, like Sasuke associating Naruto to Itachi, even though I disagree with that. Also, here Sasuke doesn't mention Naruto saving him because he says so in ch. 699/ep.479, and the fic takes place earlier. "In The Dark" is closer to that timeline instead.**_

 _ **I wrote the ending in a similar way to In The Dark's, thus being inspired by A Tale Of Two Cities, sort of.**_

 _ **This fic takes place before In The Dark (so also before What He Wanted). I'm going to make it a two shot, so stay tuned, I guess.**_


	2. Wings Denied

_**I never follow prompts when writing but this fic is the exception. Although I didn't meet tumblr Narusasu month deadlines, I did follow the themes, although loosely, "recovery" for the previous chapter and "pets" for this one.**_

 _ **English is not my native language, it's hard to describe positions or actions, so forgive my mistakes, or feel free to point them out in a useful way.**_

 _ **This is a darkfic, this chapter is darker than the previous one, so the previous warnings count double.**_

 _ **This chapter is set after Sasuke Shinden but I slightly altered the timeline because he becomes Hokage at a younger age and before getting married, mostly because I'm totally ignoring their marriages even though this is canonverse, and because he looks ugly at his wedding and in the following crap. So as I wrote this I imagined looking the way the look in Sasuke Shinden.**_

 _ **Chapter 1 was a prequel for my (Kakasasu)darkfic In The Dark, while this chapter is set after that. It's not necessary to read it to understand this. Both fics are my way to explain canon and post canon ending and characterizations. There's another slight canon divergence because Sasuke becomes the Hokage's Anbu here, but since between Shinden and ch. 700/Gaiden there is a huge timeskip, who knows what might have happened.**_

 _ **Speaking of Anbu Sasuke, which is a personal favourite, the second half of this chapter is also inspired by um-mmma's Savage Hokage series, that I love very much.**_

 _ **All the negative things expressed about Sasuke don't represent what I think. I shouldn't even mention this, but since some readers lack the basic distinction between author and characters, I'll say it anyway. What represents my thought it's everything anti-Konoha by the way.**_

 _ **Same for my portrayal of Kakashi as a manipulative mastermind, and Naruto as possessive and obsessed by Sasuke. I like Kakashi but canon showed this side of him, and I don't mean to bash Naruto but this is how I see him and I like him this way. I "explained" their reasons in ch.1 and In The Dark and it's enough for me.**_

 _ **Also, this chapter came out so long that I'll write a chapter 3 because a following scene from the original draft was left out. I don't know when I'll update though, since I want to work on my other projects. But I like the idea of keeping this fic as a collection of oneshots set in different moments and maybe different AUs.**_

 _ **I dedicate this chapter to Moonsuke, Sesilet-Nymphet,**_ _ **Wingsfreedom**_ _ **and Harububa, I hope you'll like this~**_

 _ **more notes below.**_

* * *

" _I'd like to fly but my wings are so denied" (Down In A Hole)_

* * *

It's ironic that Kakashi, one of the few who never dreamed of becoming Hokage, was chosen for this role twice. Having been in the Black Ops for such a long time he doesn't feel at ease in the spotlight, yet he is praised as efficient, competent and humble, as he downplays compliments, saying that he is qualified for the job only because the best of his generation are already dead.

 _Some died twice, he thinks every time, his now sharingan-less eye twitching at the thought of Obito._

It's not a secret, his will to leave the position to Naruto as soon as possible, thus, in order to get him used to endless work he assigns him countless missions and when he's back he requires his assistance. Knowing that he doesn't get along with theoretical learning and that he does better when thrown in the middle of things, he teaches him duties and notions along the way, as well as jutsu that a Hokage must know, like advanced sealing techniques, all the while having all his paperwork done.

Despite his unwavering confidence, Naruto realizes that his lifelong dream of being Hokage is a difficult task.

He almost has a panic attack, reading the most unintelligible scroll about political strategy, and realizing that unlike him every Hokage understood it.

To reassure him, Kakashi explains that a good ruler knows his limits just like his strengths, that he underlines the latter and minimizes the first, surrounding himself with capable people that will do what he can't do, indirectly teaching him; the Uzumaki boy is so pumped up by his speech that he formally requires his support as advisor, like Shikamaru, but free to show up as late as he wanted without making excuses, he adds with a grin.

He will make Sasuke come back too, he tells the older man. When he left, his friend said that he wanted to see the world that Naruto saved, that he wanted to atone for his sins, helping whenever he could, but now it's time for him to return from his journey.

He needs him.

 _Kakashi, who kept Naruto close to control his obsession as well, who observed how better he was without Sasuke, knew that this moment would come._

 _The Uchiha was tamed into submission -he made sure of it._

 _The fight against Naruto, the hospitalization and the nightly activities Naruto pushed on him, the imprisonment and everything happened -by other's hands and by Kakashi's- when he was sealed, restrained and delirious, the following therapy to make him come back from where he had retreated, they all blended in a vague fog clouding his mind with guilt and self loathing. He stopped demanding or even envisioning justice, to redeem himself from his sins he accepted an exile that appeared self-imposed only because Kakashi's manipulations weren't known, although tp the silver haired man it was obvious that he didn't want to stay in Konoha. He probably doesn't really want to return even now, even though his journey was so utterly solitary that he felt like he was the only person in the world, even though his best friend and savior is waiting for him._

 _Sasuke's feelings are not Kakashi's priority though. Konoha's safety is, and so is everyone who might threaten it, including his former precious student who's too obsessed by the other one, whose wings he clipped so that he can no longer soar free in the sky but only hop on the ground._

Kakashi nods, reminiscing with Naruto the time he had Sasuke investigate the mysterious exploding humans, when the boy went above and beyond his duty, solving the problem efficiently and without putting anyone in danger, thus dispelling all doubts he might have had about him.

 _He doesn't say this out loud though, as Naruto ignores what happened in prison, as busy as he was basking in popularity and preparing for his new life._

 _It's better for him to never know._

 _It's better for him to never know how badly they broke Sasuke._

 _It's better for him to never know what they did to break him._

 _It's better for him to never know that he, too, did things to the one he's obsessed with._

After a short banter he authorizes Naruto to send him a message.

It's time for you to come back. You're needed here, he writes, its real meaning obvious.

 _I can't resist without you any longer. I need you._

* * *

When Sasuke returns, he and Naruto stare at each other for a while, before the blond breaks the silence and welcomes him back.

 _Sasuke looked extremely gaunt and fragile when he left, as he just got out of jail where he was restrained and had no opportunity to exercise; now he looks better, although his cheeks are hollow and the dark clothes emphasise his thinness._

 _His hair is longer, especially the strands on his face, completely covering his Rinnegan eye, while it's still messy in the back._

 _Naruto's is much shorter then it used to be, he looks older, more mature like this. He, too, wears a dark jacket, although his trousers are still orange. He's even more muscled, as he had to train his new arm, that he keeps bandaged._

When he is offered to join the Anbu forces his reaction isn't what Kakashi and Naruto expected. He stares at the Sixth Hokage, oddly struggling to find the right words to express his refusal, yet unable to voice his reasons, in his mind fighting the cognitive dissonance between old and new ideals, old and new goals.

 _How can he be in the same position as Itachi when he killed their clan?_

 _How can he even stay in a village where he feels suffocated?_

 _He wanted to achieve peace like Itachi dreamed, and to do so he was willing to become a common enemy for everyone, for eternity, he was willing to kill the Kage and Naruto, who fought him to change his mind, to bring him back. To help him, he said. And so he did, because he was taken to the hospital instead of being left to bleed out, because he was pardoned instead of being executed, or kept in that dark cell forever._

 _He doesn't even know how long he stayed there and he doesn't even know how long his journey lasted._

 _He knows that whenever he woke up from the pain and nightmares and he wished to die he remembered that Itachi had sacrificed his life for him to be spared, and that Naruto spared him again, despite everything he did._

 _He knows that he swore to repay Naruto for never giving up on him, for saving him, as flawed as he is, and that since no payment is enough for a lost cause like him, who even killed his beloved brother, he swore to devote his whole life to protect him. To obey him._

 _And he would have had the same resolve even if Naruto hadn't been there when he left._

 _He didn't expect that the hero who defeated him would be in the woods, waiting to greet a criminal whose sins to atone would never end, even though he promised to help him after the fight and in the hospital, when he would touch him in the commanding, unyielding way that was fitting for the strong shinobi who had defeated him and claimed him as his own property. After all, he never visited him in jail, but that was because a traitor doesn't deserve company, and he didn't reveal the truth, but he was following Itachi's order, and Itachi was always right while Sasuke was wrong about everything, even his own beloved brother._

With a patient, condescendent tone, Kakashi explains that Anbu is the best choice for a strong shinobi with a shady past like him: even though he can't count on anonymity because his missing arm will give him away, his comrades will be less likely to judge him. Besides, he will be the Hokage's personal guard, which mean that he will soon work for Naruto.

The blond's pleading look and enthusiastic words make him accept.

A direct order from him would have had the same effect.

 _He would have used this opportunity to control Naruto's work, flying over him like a hawk eyeing his target, but then jail, his journey, nightmares and pangs of guilt happened, and the only thing he can do is redeem himself, devoting his life to Naruto, kneeling at his feet like a hound to its master._

* * *

Time flies for both Naruto, juggling missions and assisting the Hokage, and Sasuke, escorting them.

Somehow it feels like team 7 again, even though Sasuke stands guard for them now. Not that he cares; he was arrogant, ungrateful and blind towards those who cared for him. Besides, Itachi was a prodigy, not him. His abilities -never enough for his father, but he wasn't there anymore, and neither was his brother- were the result of constant training, that Naruto never did, and yet he became stronger in less time.

One evening Kakashi leaves them in his office to finish his paperwork.

 _Kakashi never leaves them alone for a long time._

 _He had Sasuke settle in an apartment close to his. He discouraged them from living together but he knows that Naruto visits him -he sees the signs every time he checks on the Uchiha- but it doesn't happen often, both being busy with work, during which they seem fine._

 _At least the blond is smart enough to only leave marks where the Anbu uniform covers him._

 _He tells himself that it's nothing new, that Naruto was always obsessed with Sasuke, and Sasuke, when he wasn't set on his goals, was always passive with people, in fact Hiruzen had put them together thinking that he would have contained Naruto's uncontrollable vehemence. Or that he would have shouldered it. Like he does now._

 _He tells himself that it doesn't matter if Naruto's fixation is stronger than before, if as long as he has the other around he is able to focus on everything else, and it doesn't matter if Sasuke looks like a broken doll and it's hard to know how much is his fault and how much is Naruto's or Itachi's, or anyone else's, as long as he's wearing the porcelain mask._

After hours of both boys doing the Hokage's job Sasuke suggests Naruto to take a break, while he'll keep revising the remaining paperwork.

Stretching and yawning loudly, Naruto goes on the balcony. He always liked the view from there. It's like embracing the whole village.

 _It's like owning it. Although he already owns the one he wants._

 _Or so he reassures himself, looking at the slender boy sitting on the ground, hunched over scrolls and documents, his Anbu gear and mask thrown on the couch and only thin black fabric covering a body that was touched too many times by hands that aren't Naruto's._

When he comes back inside he's got a mischievous look and a bottle in his hand, that Tsunade probably hid and forgot.

Neither of them being a habitual alcohol consumer, drinking the Fifth's hidden stash in the Hokage's office has the irresistible appeal of the forbidden.

Naruto claims that he can't get drunk because of Kyuubi inside him; when Sasuke objects that his slurred speech is a telltale sign that he can, he asks when the other became an authority on the subject.

 _The beast inside of him is ready to attack if he mentions Orochimaru. Or Obito. Or anyone else he met during his journey, as no matter how smart Sasuke is, he has always been oblivious to these sort of matters, and too honest to hide things when asked._

Sasuke replies that there's no need to be an authority to notice the obvious.

Moreover, he points out smirking, he pronounced "authority" wrong, and he spells it for clarification. Scratching the back of his head, Naruto mutters that in this case he might have to go through a few documents again, before handing them to Kakashi.

"Maybe I should take a look at your other papers too, in case you made more mistakes...usuratonkachi."

He chuckles, just like he did in the past, whenever Naruto did something stupid and he called him usuratonkachi before helping him out.

 _He called him that way again after he admitted his loss, then he stopped, despite the time they spent together in the hospital, both by day and by night. Then he was put in jail and then he went on a journey that seemed to never end, during which Naruto was incredibly jealous of Kakashi who received his mandatory periodical reports, unlike him, who even now ignores everything about that period. Even now he doesn't really own Sasuke, even though he belongs to him, for he saved him._

Just like Naruto didn't imagine that his friend was a calm drunk, Sasuke had no clue the blond was an aggressive drunk until he punches him in the face, yelling at him.

"I'm not a good for nothing!"

 _He's not a loser. He's going to be Hokage. He defeated Sasuke and claimed him as his own._ "Right. You're a crybaby."

Sasuke retorts, despite the sting in his cheek and the buzzing in his ear.

 _He is definitely a calm drunk. And a reckless one._

 _Or maybe he just doesn't care if he's hit for a stupid reason, especially because he deserves to be punished._

He earns himself another punch.

"Did I hit a mark? Are you scared of failing once this office will be yours?"

 _Sasuke knows how it feels to fail others' expectations; he was never enough for his father, or his brother, and later he betrayed those who cared for him, and his one and only friend. He might have told Naruto that it's normal to be afraid of failing an important task, especially when it's what he dreamed since his childhood, if only the mood was different._

"I won't fail!"

He yells again and tries throwing another punch but Sasuke blocks him. He's about to fight back, just like he would have done in the past, but he stops in his tracks because of Naruto's words, because that past is gone, because it's his fault and he has no right to treat the other like he used to, or to expect him to be the same.

"I'm not like you! I didn't leave the village and betray the only ones who were there for me!"

The buzz wears off all of a sudden for Sasuke.

"I didn't follow a creepy mad scientist and offered my body in exchange for revenge."

He loosens his grip on Naruto's fist. The blond's voice is not as angry as before, yet it's lower and darker.

"I didn't kill the brother who instead protected me..."

Sasuke's hand falls limp, for Naruto hit the mark as well.

He hit it with all his weapons, tore it down and stomped on it.

The Uchiha steadies his breathing and tightens his jaw until he's sure that his voice comes out as snarky as he wants it, his onyx black eyes locked into blue ones, their shape so different, and so their light, and so what's behind them.

"Of course not...Hokage-sama."

Maybe the buzz hasn't completely worn off.

You must be crazy, or stupid, or masochistic, he was told on more than one occasion. He still doesn't know if it's true and if it is, which one he is. He doesn't know Naruto that well either, but neither Naruto knows himself, as he would have never expected to feel such a rush of adrenaline, hearing those words. He visibly shivers, half excited, half angry, because Sasuke used that title and honorific not out of respect but as a mockery.

The Uzumaki attacks Sasuke's throat with both hands, with so much strength that he ends on his back.

 _Naruto's arm is perfectly functional. Tsunade offered Sasuke a new arm too, but he refused._

 _This is him now, and he's missing a limb._

 _This is him now, and he doesn't want Konoha to poke and prod him anymore. He doesn't want to be grateful to them for one more thing, after they already graciously let him live instead of executing him, after they let him travel instead of keeping him locked again, after they allowed Naruto near him instead of making him disappear as they did to his old team._

 _This is him now, he failed his brother's expectations, he betrayed the friend who never gave up on him, he caused pain to the one who sacrificed an arm to bring him back, who deserved to get another, who deserves to be angry at him and remind him of everything wrong he did in his life._

"Say it again," Naruto darkly threatens, "this time meaning it."

Sasuke rebels against him, clawing his wrists and activating his sharingan but Naruto only tightens his hold.

"You're not...Hokage...yet," he retorts, voice strained for the pressure.

Naruto hovers over him, knees at his sides, on the cold ground.

"But I will be."

Sasuke doesn't activate his sharingan on purpose, it just happens, a conditioned reflex that every Uchiha had, not that he knows, since his clan was long gone, not that Naruto knows either, so he sees this as a threat.

It's only logical that Kyuubi's chakra comes out, sensing a lack of acknowledgement of his dominance over him. It's only natural that his fingers become claws around his throat, that his skin becomes hotter and his pupils turn to slits, that he turns into a beast around his prey, the pale beautiful friend whom he saved from death and loneliness, whom he tried to reach in every way, whom he still hasn't truly reached because if he had he wouldn't have to hurt him.

 _Or would he do it anyway, because nothing is more satisfying than dominating someone so beautiful, so strong but actually so vulnerable?_

"I will...call you like that...only when you'll be Hokage."

Sasuke doesn't stop defying him so it's only legitimate for Naruto _-or is it Kyuubi? Is there even any difference between them by now?-_ to assert his dominance by keeping him on the ground and sinking his knee on his stomach.

Sasuke gasps, all remaining air knocked out of him.

 _I will call you like that when you act like one, a real one, like my brother would have been. Like I would have strived to become if you hadn't stopped me, his subconscious adds, before he pushes it back down where it came from, just like Naruto pushed a knee into his gut. He doesn't really think that way though, he knows he was wrong and his friend was right, he's just a traitor who deserves to be punished over and over._

"Alright then," Naruto concedes, "but you will, Sasuke."

His chakra nails, like tiny blunt kunai, ripped and scratched and drew some blood but didn't pierce deep. Around them, light bruises already formed on his pale delicate skin.

 _No wonder every time he fought, even during their genin days, he ended up bruised and battered and more injured than anyone else, despite being incredibly strong, Naruto has been musing since Sasuke is back and he's been touching him in a way that leaves many of them, a way that no one else will do anymore. He doesn't understand why he becomes more aggressive every time he thinks about this, or he thinks that maybe his opponents were so violent because they wanted him but couldn't have him, or maybe they wanted to elicit a reaction from him, or maybe they just wanted to see his pretty face marred with blood and bruises, because they make him even more beautiful, more vulnerable, almost theirs._

 _Naruto is not be different from them, after all._

"You will. Because you owe me."

Naruto smirks as Sasuke opens and closes his mouth, his abdomen twitching and spasming beneath his knee.

"You'll refer to me with that title whenever I'll wear the Hokage cloak..."

Sasuke nods, deactivating his sharingan, the lack of air depleting his chakra as well.

 _Sasuke is not afraid of being beaten._

 _Getting hurt is part of a shinobi's life, he used to think. If he were stronger it wouldn't happen so often, so he just needed to train more._

 _He was arrogant back then. Now that he called back upon himself every sort of punishment, he knows better._

 _He was naive back then._

 _He later came to terms that some people are just stronger, like Madara, like Kaguya, like Orochimaru, whom he just defeated when he was weakened, like Itachi, the strongest and most perfect shinobi, whom he would have never defeated if his brother hadn't let him._

 _Like Naruto, who defeated him, who saved him, and because of this he can do anything he wants with him._

 _He's not afraid of his friend. He just doesn't want to make him angry, and he doesn't want to lose him, even though sometimes he doesn't even recognize him. Like today. Like every time his smirk has a sadistic glow and his eyes are nothing like his cheerful friend's._

 _They don't even look sane, but who is Sasuke to judge, after everything he put him through?_

 _He swore to live for Naruto's sake, because Naruto saved him. Because Naruto owns him._

"You'll do whatever I want, because it will be the Hokage's order."

Naruto says, finally freeing Sasuke's midsection from his weight. As the Uchiha coughs, trying to regain control of his breathing, he slips a hand under his sleeveless Anbu top, over his chest, frantically rising and falling, feeling _Sasuke's heart racing because of him, relishing the exhilarating feeling of exerting power over the one he wanted for years._

* * *

Despite the newly achieved stability the world isn't safe yet, as opposed to the main countries' alliance some of the smaller ones are still hostile.

Naruto isn't afraid of them, in fact he's confident to change their 's why he accepted to be the main attraction of a gala held by the Daimyo, where all the Kage are invited.

After a formal dinner there's a music performance. Naruto sits in front of the Daimyo and beside the Kage of the Spiders Village, a stuck up man who can't stop bragging about his village, that the blond only vaguely remembers to have read about.

At their side, but in a set back position, sit their advisors, a slimy man with long black hair and Shikamaru.

Behind them Sasuke, the Hokage's personal Anbu, stands guard, his face hidden by a hawk mask, the tattoo well visible on his pale arm.

 _Before being appointed Hokage Naruto hadn't noticed how of the will of fire symbol resembled the Uzumaki one. To him it's a sign that Sasuke was meant to belong to him._

"Nara," Sasuke whispers Shikamaru's family name discreetly, kneeling behind his back. "Something's wrong. I go check. Protect the Hokage."

Shikamaru nods, always taken aback when he hears Sasuke say Hokage-sama so naturally, especially because he doesn't use proper honorifics for him or anyone else. That _aside_ he's not rude; he is professional and efficient, yet he's cold. Only with Naruto he openly shows plain respect and explicit and unwavering respect.

 _It's what he promised, after all. It's what Naruto wanted._

 _In his staff many remarked how dismissive Sasuke is towards them despite his lower rank, yet no one openly complains, because the Hokage doesn't seem to notice, and if he does he doesn't do anything about it._

 _In fact he enjoys the polite indifference Sasuke shows them, and the loyalty and respect he has for him._

 _He gets off on it, it's as if he tamed a wild beast that only acknowledges him as its master, yet it still retains its wild behavior with everyone else._

 _Even though Naruto is the beastly one._

 _He becomes addicted to Sasuke calling him Hokage-sama. Every time he does, in public, he feels such a strong rush of adrenaline running through his veins that he must control himself to not let others know, and a pang of frustration, because his pet, the beast he tamed, is wearing his beast shaped Anbu mask thus he can't see his lips opening and closing as his voice comes out, until they're alone and he lets it all out, testing his subordinate's loyalty, playing games with his pet._

Naruto doesn't notice at first, as he's too busy pretending to be interested in what the Kage explains about the music. Until he turns around and notices that Sasuke isn't there.

 _He always checks on Sasuke: a good ruler takes good care of his subordinates, especially if they're as valuable as him._

 _A good friend takes good care of his companion, especially if he's as special as him._

 _A good master takes good care of his pet, especially if he's as alluring as him._

He remembers that during the dinner the Uchiha whispered that he didn't trust that Kage, who was exchanging suspicious looks with his advisor, whom, he notices, is missing too.

 _Sasuke is good at this, he has always been a good observer and a strategist._

 _Yet Naruto didn't pay attention to his insight, for he is the one who gives orders, but instead he was distracted by his guard's low, voice close to his ear, which made him suddenly imagine the boy naked and stretched over the low table, completely exposed to his desires._

He sends a clone to look around in sage mode, then he runs towards the back garden, where he feels a strong disturbance over Sasuke's chakra.

His blood boils when he sees Sasuke on the ground, a kunai pinning his profusely bleeding hand, the Spider advisor looming over him, his long black hair falling on his friend's face, his hands on the Uchiha's forehead, sucking his chakra away and leaving long seal-like marks all over him.

It's similar to what Yoroi did during the Chuunin Exams, and Yoroi was Orochimaru's subordinate and Orochimaru did things to Sasuke, things that he, only, can do now -Naruto is invested by a train of thoughts and impulses and blind anger, before, rasengan on one hand, Kyuubi's claws on the other, he lashes out at the man who looks like the sannin, throwing him against a tree.

He's about to strike again when Shikamaru arrives.

"Wouldn't it be troublesome to accidentally lose the culprit before we make him talk?"

He's right; they should make him confess, so that they can arrest his leader too.

Yet he can't overlook that he touched Sasuke.

It's only when Sasuke himself, supported by Shikamaru, touches his arm lightly with the back of his hand, so not to spill blood over his cloak, that he makes his rasengan disappear and reins Kyuubi in.

"He's right. You need a confession. You don't need to get your hands dirty on him."

His voice is broken, almost inaudible, before collapsing in the lazy genius' arms.

* * *

Naruto is waiting inside his office. He's wearing the whole Hokage attire, minus the hat.

 _It's stained with Sasuke's blood, as he helped Shikamaru carry him when he passed out._

Sasuke isn't wearing his mask, or his protective gear. He just got out of the Anbu quarters' infirmary when he was summoned.

The injury wasn't severe but his chakra hasn't returned completely, so he looks tired.

Naruto notices the dark circles under his eyes.

He closes the door and kneels down, as it's customary before the Hokage, who speaks with an even tone.

"I was briefed by Shikamaru."

After the incident Naruto's duty was to not cause unnecessary panic to the Daimyo, all the while informing the Allies, so he stayed while Shikamaru who took him to the infirmary, where he was explained what had happened.

The Spider Kage was purposely distracting Naruto so that the advisor would enact his plan. He was able to steal someone's chakra, rewrite it with a subliminal message and put it back into its owner, who would have acted on their behalf. In their case Sasuke would have killed Naruto and with his bad reputation no one would have suspected of them.

Sasuke noticed their ministrations and secret signals so he followed the advisor; he let himself be targeted, so that Naruto would keep on with the meeting.

 _When he said he'd devote his life to Naruto he meant it._

His sharingan recorded him spilling out his plan, until he had chakra to keep it activated, then he let lulled him into a sense of false security not fighting back, because he needed him to keep his hands on his head, as they were the channel to get his chakra back and put him under genjutsu. It was a reckless plan but he had it all under control.

"You should have notified me before acting on your own."

His voice is still even, yet the struggle to control it it's palpable.

"I notified Nara. A personal guard informing the advisor of some technicality isn't alarming. A personal guard informing the Hokage is. If I notified you everyone would have known there was something wrong, and those Spiders would have caused more problems later."

Sasuke is really good at this, Naruto thinks, focusing on his tired but firm tone, then on his spent eyes again.

"If you don't follow the rules people will think that I can't handle you. That I favor you, even."

Or that he was about to kill an opponent because he had hurt -he had touched- Sasuke.

 _Shikamaru recognized the problem right away, like Kakashi did. For Sasuke the only problem was to not have Naruto's reputation tainted by such action._

"My job is to protect you, not them."

Sasuke looks up at him. Still kneeling -the Hokage didn't tell him to stand up- his lithe frame seems so much smaller than Naruto's, enhanced instead by his clothes and his cloak.

Looking at him from a closer distance, there is still a faint trace of the seal, like a broken line running through his arm and neck.

 _Probably not just through his arms and neck._

"Then you should have stayed beside me!"

Naruto loses all composure. Raising his voice he slaps him hard. Sasuke keeps his head low, hanging to the side. He's exhausted, he barely has the energy to kneel without hunching over too much, much less to defend his position.

"But you went away on your own. You did it again!"

Naruto is so livid that even his blue eyes seem darkened by anger. He removes Sasuke's long Anbu gloves to see more of that seal. He forces his head towards him and slaps him again.

"He touched you..."

Grabbing Sasuke by the hair, Naruto forces his head up.

His cheek is already bruised and blood trickles from the corner of his mouth. His eyes are wide open in surprise, because of his words.

 _Sasuke doesn't understand Naruto's feeling. He never felt it for anyone, not even for his brother and most precious person._

 _Most certainly not for Itachi: he wanted to be old and good enough to train with him and Shisui, he wanted to be worthy of being beside him, he never wanted to control -to own- him._

 _Itachi let him win but he was much stronger. Naruto defeated him, because he is stronger._

 _Maybe Sasuke doesn't understand because it's how strong people feel for the ones they care about: Itachi loved him, Itachi did many things that put Sasuke through immense pain but they were all done because he loved him very much. In the same way, Naruto saved him and said that he cared, so whatever he does it's his way of showing it._

The Seventh Hokage doesn't loosen his grip, in fact he forcefully lifts him up.

 _Naruto sometimes forgets that even though his friend's eyes and his many abilities make him almost as strong as him, Sasuke is so much lighter, even moreso since he came back from his journey._

 _Naruto's build is strong, designed for power, Sasuke's is sharp, designed for speed._

 _Naruto is broad shoulders and muscled legs and rippling muscles, Sasuke is a sinewy body, taut muscles, long legs and birdlike thin bones that break too easily, like the wrist that Itachi shattered with just one hand, like the ribs that he cracked and broke with punches and kicks._

"You let him touch you. You let that man touch you _again_!"

Naruto shoves him face first on the table, his memory flooded -his sanity torn away- by the memory of a man who only vaguely resembled Orochimaru, hovering over his friend, his dirty hands locked to his head.

"I was protecting you...Hokage-sama."

Sasuke's broken words are enough to distract Naruto. Or to fuel him more. Or both, at the same time. He pulls him by the hair again, until he can lock his lips with the Uchiha's, his tongue invading his mouth with the same force his fingers grasp his black strands.

"No one must touch you..."

He commands, pulling Sasuke's head back to an uncomfortable angle.

 _Black hair and milky white neck look good with blood red._

"You're mine, Sasuke."

He sinks his fangs in the back of his neck, hungrily lapping at the blood oozing out, relishing in the hisses and grunts coming from Sasuke, all the while grinding against his back.

"Yes...Hokage-sama."

Sasuke whispers, in a distressed tone that to Naruto is so arousing that he wants to hear more of it, he wants to see more of the face behind it, so he flips the Uchiha onto his back, so that the black haired boy hisses and closes his eyes at the sudden hit.

"I am the only one who can touch you."

Naruto takes the other's shirt off: the seal crisscrosses his chest, stomach and back, so he bites him again, and again, leaving bloody marks all over.

"Yes...Hokage-sama."

 _Itachi entrusted him to Naruto, Itachi was perfect, Itachi knew everything, hence Itachi wanted this for him, so Sasuke accepts it, because this means that he's loved, and he's starved of love, or so he remembers having said once out of jail, when his thoughts were all jumbled and his memory was messed up. It still is, because he doesn't remember much about his imprisonment but probably there's nothing to remember -only bad feelings that he can't place and only wants to forget, and to give back to Naruto, who's just as starved of love as him, even moreso, because he spent years trying to save him from the darkness._

Naruto takes Sasuke's pants off and spreads his legs.

"I'm the only one who can fuck you."

He enters him brutally; Sasuke lets out a pained gasp, covering his eyes with his arm, biting it when Naruto moves again, and again, moving his arm to uncover the Uchiha's beautifully suffering face, to make him to look at the mighty Hokage fucking him.

 _Why did Sasuke cover his eyes? Is it because he doesn't want to see him? Is it because he's somewhere else, imagining or remembering someone else fucking him?_

 _Naruto's look becomes unfocused and extremely focused at the same time, like it is when he's hit by irrational fears that turn into possessive thoughts, that turn into violent actions that he can't control even if they're in the Hokage's office and the people outside are the best in their fields, and they might easily overhear his voice being higher than usual and muffled hits and noises from hitting someone and shoving him against something, and grunts and moans and the unmistakeable sound of a kunai pinning a hand on a table, and the strangled cry that follows._

"I am the only one who can hurt you."

Naruto murmurs. His low, feral tone matches the bloodshot eyes and the hungry expression over the pale young man beneath him, whose blood is spilling from the table to the ground, whose naked form is shaking and arching under the push of his hips.

"Yes...Hokage-sama..."

 _Surely Itachi knew about all this, so it's alright, because belonging to Naruto meant being loved, and if it hurts it's normal, and if it hurts a lot it's because he deserves it._

He manages to stutter, as Naruto's thrusts seem to rip him in two until he comes, collapsing on top of him, still breathing heavily as he removes the kunai with a swift gesture and directs some chakra to stop the bleeding.

 _Sasuke said that his wound wasn't that bad, but he was referring to the one he got from that man, not to what he did._

 _Maybe he should summon Sakura and have her take a look at him._

 _Maybe he should show her that the one she wanted since forever is his._

 _Maybe someday he will. Or maybe she knows already, like his staff._

* * *

Sasuke doesn't move. He almost doesn't even blink, his eyes fixed on the ceiling he knows that he should help cleaning up but he feels sore and so incredibly tired that if he doesn't force himself to keep his eyes open he'd fall asleep right there, naked, marked, bruised, on the Hokage's office, on the very table where Hiruzen and Danzo discussed the massacre of his clan, before Danzo blackmailed his brother to do it and save his life in return.

The thought sickens Sasuke nauseous, overwhelmed by an impulse to destroy this office and this village and himself, and a feeling of helplessness because he can't do such thing. He can't even think about it without getting nauseous from guilt and shame.

 _They made sure he would, when Sasuke was in jail._

Itachi told him that despite he knew Konoha's flaws he was still Itachi of the Leaf. Itachi entrusted him to Naruto because he believed in him. Naruto, who saved him, is Hokage now, so he must trust him.

He props himself up in a sitting position, to look at the blond, on his knees to wipe down the table, but his movement too quick and he doesn't suppress a wince.

"Easy, Sasuke."

He says, getting up and using another rug to clean his body as well.

"You know, I like to take care of you..."

His fingers are light as they tend to him. His look is tender _-as if he hadn't ravaged him in a frenzy of animalistic rage-_ as he helps the Uchiha redress and get off the table, encircling him in his arms to support him until his legs are stable enough.

Somehow this reminds him of when he was a child who got injured whenever he tried to imitate what Itachi was doing.

Just like his brother, Naruto always tends to him, _after_ , cleaning and fixing what's broken and helping him wear his clothes.

Even if he caused those stains and wounds.

 _He deserves to be punished anyway. He failed his brother and his best friend and everyone else. He shouldn't even be alive right now; it's only because Naruto interceded for him that he exists, although sometimes, when he was alone in some dark forest, the stars above him as only company, he wondered if not existing anymore would have really been a worse fate, before succumbing to the shame for having had such ungrateful thoughts towards Itachi, who sacrificed his life for him, and Naruto, who saved him._

Love hurts after all, he vaguely thinks, as the Hokage helps him lie on the couch, a convenient legacy left by Kakashi.

"I worked hard to bring you back...to save you. I'm not going to lose you again..."

Naruto whispers in his ear, lying behind him.

"I only live to serve you, Hokage-sama," he mutters, exhaustion winning over him.

"Good," Naruto says, turning Sasuke so that they're facing each other. He loves when the Uchiha nests his face in the crook of his neck.

"Because I'm not going to lose you anymore. Even if I have to break all your bones..."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_

 _ **The theme "pets" was supposed to be cute, I turned it dark, from the title to the many birdy references to wild & free Sasuke tamed into submission, turned into Naruto's pet, both in a cool way, highlighting Sasuke's strength, as if he's a sort of domesticated hellhound only loyal to Naruto who tamed him (like in Tosyoen's doujinshi Obbligato), and in a sad way, since **__**Sasuke had his wings clipped, his freedom of thinking destroyed by brainwashing and guilt tripping, his reputation lost, his soul broken.**_

 _ **In the first half of the chapter Sasuke is submissive to Naruto but also a little defiant.**_

 _ **He is tame now, his low self esteem made him vulnerable to that sort of brainwashing, both Kakashi's and Naruto's, who used Itachi against him during their fight and this left a huge trace because the best way to manipulate Sasuke is to use his brother. So I put the "Itachi entrusted Sasuke to Naruto" to its extreme point here, same for the whole Sasuke putting Itachi and Naruto together ahead of him, which I hated in canon, that I can only explain as a consequence of Naruto's emotional manipulation.**_

 _ **Sasuke's inner world is very troubled because of the cognitive dissonance between his former ideals and the present, something that I saw also in the dark atmosphere of Sasuke Shinden where, in my opinion,**_ _ **he knows all of Konoha's flaws but the brainwashing doesn't let him express them and he's just referring his loyalty to Naruto only. Especially in the last episode.**_

 _ **So he still has anti-Konoha thoughts but then he he hates himself for hating Konoha and he justifies Naruto's violent behavior because he thinks he deserves punishment.**_

 _ **I think that Sa**_ _ **suke mistakes control and manipulation with love. Itachi wasn't possessive but he was controlling, he hurt him because he loved him (and please notice that I'm not anti Itachi at all, I think he had no other choice and I love him deeply, including his dark controlling side) so Sasuke associates pain and love and if Naruto hurt him "for his own good" or "because he cares" he would believe him. It's actually what happened in the final fight…**_

 _ **Also, Sasuke is not possessive at all. Anyone is free to have their opinion but I think he is always misinterpreted in this regard. He never imposed anything on anyone, neither Itachi nor Naruto nor Team Taka, and when fans think he was possessive or jealous of Itachi he was defending his name. Which is selfless love, because he is a very selfless and caring person, he showed it many times, with many characters.**_

 _ **Most of his inner monologues are a result of manipulation so they're quite out of it. I also included his saying "alone and starved of love" as an example, because in my opinion Sasuke would have said it differently if he had been himself. He's direct but not cheesy.**_

 _ **All the circular/repetitive thoughts are written on purpose to express his broken and troubled mind (or Naruto's obsession).**_

 _ **I like to think that Sasuke is strong but Naruto is stronger, he has more chakra and stamina so even though Sasuke's smarter and has cooler powers, Naruto wins.**_

 _ **I headcanon Sasuke's hair as naturally messy and he doesn't think about trivial things such as keeping them in a different way.**_

 _ **I implied Orosasu and Obisasu because in my "canon behind the screen" headcanons, they happened, just like other things to other characters. Also, Sasuke is pure and he'd still be he's if he gives his body to achieve his goal, he wouldn't be ashamed or anything as it's a mean to his end.**_

 _ **The first part, when they drink together, was supposed to show**_ _ **their lighter side for a while, something like part 1 where they did silly things together.**_

 _ **I don't necessarily think Sasuke is a calm drunk but in this context it works. He's not even that calm, since he gets reckless and defiant. That's his subconscious taking over, and his conscious masochistic side just letting him take more punishment and Naruto, who gets off on power, gladly complies. It's also a reminiscence of their Team 7 days when Sasuke accepted Naruto's challenges and sometimes he defied him too.**_

 _ **In canon it's Itachi who hit Sasuke in the stomach the most, but Naruto did it quite a few times too. Naruto's gesture is also a sort of inside joke from an older fic of mine, The Will Of Fire. Like throat grabbing, I tend to write these sorts of actions to show dominance and power through breath control and pain, more than blatantly sexual gestures. The gestures I write (in my opinion) are more immediate and meaningful, both for the characters and my writing and its interconnections, and more fitting for shinobi and fighters who know where to hurt and how.**_

 _ **I looked for existing smaller villages with no affiliation to the big countries, as I suck at remembering these details, I didn't understand much and I made up a random village.**_

 _ **In Japanese Sasuke would say "hokage-sama wo mamoru" even talking to a third person, so I wrote that part based on this, even though it sounded weird in english so I just had him say "protect the hokage".**_

 _ **I wrote Sasuke being supported by Shikamaru and collapsing in his arms thinking about Twinge's doujinshi "Worst Night".**_

 _ **Also the crap about Naruto pretending to like Sakura out of spite against Sasuke in The Last was so idiotic that I kinda referenced it but changed it in a more fitting way. If only, it's Naruto who prefended to love Sakura so not to admit his obsession for Sasuke.**_


	3. Disarm

_**This chapter was almost done but then an anon ask on my tumblr suggested to write something with Kage Bunshin. I never listen to suggestions but this one was too interesting to pass, so I added it and split the chapter in 2.**_

 _ **It was**_ _ **supposed to alternate present and past scenes, now it's mostly about the past, flashbacks of different moments connected by an underlying theme. The result has an "Inception"- like vibe, since it's all Naruto waiting for Sasuke and thinking about the past. Next chapter will be mostly present oriented. In the meantime I hope it's not too confusing, or that their interactions make up for it.**_

 _ **Here I connected the previous canon divergence (Anbu Sasuke) to canon timeline, so after Shinden/The Last Sasuke returns to Konoha and works as Anbu for a non specified period (there is a long blank period anyway) he starts investigating on Kaguya's chakra, no longer as Anbu but as his adult canon self. Only without that square chin that they keep drawing on him. My Sasuke is square chin free, even as an adult he looks like only the best animation and moments, where he's slender and graceful and delicate, with an oval face and pointed chin.**_

 _ **In case it's not clear, the flashback of them living together is set during Sasuke's earlier times in Konoha, so he looks like in Shinden/The Last. Same for when he's Anbu. I really like his appearance in Shinden and The Last.**_

 _ **I don't follow the new stuff but**_ _ **I read Gaiden when it came out. It influenced my portrayal a lot. Thus Naruto is not necessarily unhappy but he's certainly bored of both his family and his job, and he's jaded, as he experienced firsthand Konoha's flaws by now, since he's a part of it. He clings to Sasuke as his only way to escape, he's selfish and possessive when it comes to him. And he's quite narcissistic. Needless to say it, what he says and what others say about Sasuke and Itachi, doesn't reflect my opinion of them.**_

 _ **As for Sasuke, like I said he's been brainwashed into submission.**_ _ **I always found him in Gaiden particularly apathetic and detached, and especially in the Kage summit flashback, also bitter. To me it's because he realized things he was too brainwashed to realize before, but it's too late for him to turn back, that conditioning still strong in him. My adult Sasuke is like this, bitter yet still loyal to Naruto, to whom he devoted his life.**_ _ **I loathe SS more than everything, so there is going to be a short mention of it, and it's only for the plot (and narusasu) purpose.**_

 _ **Sasuke's feelings, needs and thoughts are kind of blurred because he has been brainwashed so he accepts everything as if he deserves it, and when he has independent thoughts the brainwashing makes them painful because they bring out his guilt. The many circular reasonings and repetitions are on purpose, to portray his confusion and his cognitive dissonance, but also Naruto's obsession for Sasuke.**_

 _ **There is a lot of dark smut, its gestures also have a symbolic value.**_

 _ **Certain details are inspired by some interesting exchanges I had with Moonsuke, so this chapter is dedicated to her again.**_

 _ **There are mentions of orosasu and obisasu, that are basically canon in my opinion. And of Team Taka, in a pure way because I see them as the purest and best friends Sasuke had. I should write something about them one day, as I really love them and I have a lot of headcanons about their time together.**_

 _ **My Naruto is really dark, he's constantly in that mode when he told sasuke that he'd break all his bones to bring him back, here his obsession (and the way it reflects on his relationship with Sasuke, and with Kakashi too) is shown in different stages according to different moments. For example the flashback of them living together, which happens after Sasuke returns from his Shinden journey.**_

 _ **Ironically, narusasu is seen very differently by its fandom, while to me it's filled with non-positive and non-fluffy vibes, and it inspires me to write the darkest thing I've written so far.**_

 _ **Which brings me to this reminder, after having received stupid comments** **: if you're looking for a romantic/positive fanfic, if you like healthy and equality oriented dynamics, DO NOT READ THIS.** **This is my own portrayal of the dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke, reflecting my opinion about them and the ending. I write exactly what I want to write, so it's useless to complain that it's too dark or negative, I specified how it would be since the beginning, so if you're still sticking around and bitching because I don't write what you want, it's your problem, not mine. Do a favor to the both of us and leave the hell out of here and write your own thing.**_

 _ **More notes at the end.**_

* * *

" _Disarm you with a smile  
_ _And cut you like you want me to  
_ _Cut that little child  
_ _Inside of me and such a part of you  
_ _Ooh, the years burn" (Smashing Pumpkins, Disarm)_

* * *

From the Hokage building there is a great view of the village. Even Naruto's house can be seen from its large windows.

He used to tell his sons that he could see their room from his office so if they stayed awake past bedtime he would have known; it worked, until they realized that their room was on the other side, unlike the living room and their parents' bedroom.

The lights are off downstairs while they're lit upstairs. By now his wife is done washing the dishes, cleaning everything up and putting the kids to sleep, she must be brushing her hair and reading a book before sleeping.

By now she knows that she doesn't have to wait up for him.

His work never seems to end, between paperwork, giving hearing to proposals and requests, solving controversies, organizing shinobi missions and communicating with other villages.

Constant communication with old and new allies is the key to good relationships and long lasting peace, according to the Seventh. That's why the Hokage building is never empty, not only because there is always an Anbu team protecting it, but also because some work there all night long to keep track of said communication. Sometimes, when they wait for important messages, even Shikamaru stays until nightfall, although he always complains for how troublesome it is.

Naruto often sleeps in his office. More often than not, even when he makes it home it's so late and he's so exhausted that he often crashes on the couch, the morning after he tells his wife that he didn't want to wake her up and she pretends to believe him.

She also pretends to not notice that there are times he's so absent and silent that she almost doesn't recognize him, just like she pretends to ignore that it happens the day of Sasuke's periodical report.

Their meetings take place every three months.

Sometimes they meet out in the open, the Uchiha sending Naruto his coordinates, the Uzumaki reaching him with a clone, so that his absence won't raise suspicion.

 _So to emphasize his position of power, because despite Sasuke is out on a long, crucial mission it's him who allowed it._

 _Neither the clone nor the original come home for a few days; once he's back Hinata pretends that nothing happened._

Sometimes Sasuke returns to Konoha, and when he does, he never gets out of Naruto's office. He never returns to his house, located at the other side of the village, outside the line of sight of the Hokage's windows.

His mission is highly classified. Only the few shinobi working in the building know about his occasional appearances, and they're forbidden from disclosing information to everyone outside, including his wife and daughter.

They're not part of the mission. They're not part of his life either.

* * *

Unanimously admired as a hero, Naruto hadn't been scolded in years when Kakashi came into his office, and, speaking with a condescending tone, pointed out how he had been a disappointing Hokage so far.

 _Kakashi used Naruto's weakness, his need to be acknowledged by everyone after having been shunned during his lonely childhood, when he said that everyone expected him to do a better job now that his dream of a lifetime had been achieved._

During official meetings he was distracted, no longer using his ability to connect with others, constantly and obsessively focused on Sasuke, even when his guard was obviously behind him, even when, having been attacked, instead of letting Sasuke do his job and protect him, he had jumped into battle, using too much power and being excessively violent and resentful towards their enemies, an unbecoming behavior for someone in his position.

You are the Hokage now, your duty must come before your feelings. Konoha must come before yourself and certainly before Sasuke, the silver haired jounin chided, adding that his role required a flawless reputation and yet he was always with Sasuke, instead of being with the wife who just gave him a son.

"You're not a kid anymore, Naruto, and the village is not an Academy assignment you can fix later," Kakashi said, interrupting the blonde's excuses and promises to change.

"The village must be your reason for living. It has been mine. It still is. That's why, as your advisor, I'm going to fix this situation _by all means_. Whether you like it or not."

Sasuke was there too, behind the Hokage table, face hidden by his Anbu mask, impassive to their argument, as his duty and his lower rank required. Even when Kakashi defined him a bad influence on his _friend_ , even when he reminded him that Naruto had a responsibility towards the village, that he had done already so much for him and now it was time to repay him.

 _As if having been beaten into submission, imprisoned, isolated and abused in jail, sent to a journey and forced to come back weren't enough. As if being submitted over and over, again and again weren't enough._

In order to prove his loyalty to Konoha, with Naruto as its main representative, in order to continue redeeming himself from his crimes, the older man commanded him to marry Sakura, ignoring Naruto's protests, eyes fixed on the porcelain hawk mask and the straight stance that betrayed no reaction, unlike the fuming blond.

 _Kakashi did the same to Naruto: when he sensed that his obsession for Sasuke was getting stronger, that he was growing impatient to have his friend back from his journey of redemption, he used guilt to tie him to Hinata._

 _With Sasuke it was even easier, as he had already used guilt on him, during his jail time ad after, to tie him to the village and to Naruto._

 _Konoha was indeed his reason for living, he told himself whenever he felt guilty for having manipulated his precious students, forcing them into a family to better control them, along with the remainder that if they had been completely reliable and loyal he wouldn't had resorted to this._

 _Besides, the village needed more sharingan eyes, just in case._

"Why should I give _what_ is _mine_ to Sakura?"

Naruto shouted, crossing the wooden table to reach Sasuke. Unimpressed, Kakashi didn't budge, making it clear that he wouldn't accept a refusal.

 _Naruto had to understand that his life wasn't his own anymore. He belonged to the village, just like Sasuke, no matter what he thought and what he wanted to believe._

"It's your duty to do so. And it's Sasuke's duty to obey. He's the only sharingan user and his life is constantly on the line. It's...necessary."

"Sasuke is strong," rebukes Naruto, "almost as strong as I am."

 _In the past Sasuke would have scoffed, pointing out that Kyuubi's chakra wasn't really his own, and that was the only thing that gave him an advantage over him; he would have accepted the other's subsequent challenge to prove his worth, but many things had happened, he had been defeated and saved at the same time thus he had admitted that Naruto was stronger, and he had become Naruto's property, his plaything._

 _His savior and owner had all the right to do whatever he wanted with him, even discussing with their former sensei about a marriage he didn't want, as if he weren't even there, as if his opinion didn't matter._

 _As if he didn't matter._

 _Just like his father and brother did when he was a child._

 _Strong people always ignore those who can't keep up with them, and just like he wasn't as strong as his perfect brother, he isn't worthy of the hero who saved both the village and the traitor who threatened it._

"No one lives forever, Naruto. Not even Sasuke, or you."

Kakashi replied, matter-of-factly.

 _Sasuke was ready to spend eternity watching over the world, assuming that his Rinnegan would have made it possible, but that was a long time ago._

 _He didn't even want to live forever; he only lived to honor his brother's sacrifice, he only lived for Naruto's sake, not for his own._

 _What he wanted didn't matter, it never had._

The blond took Sasuke's mask off, revealing an impassive face, although his jaw was tightened, like his fists. The Uchiha didn't expect Naruto's arm to encircle his waist, while the other hand pulled his hair, to expose his pale throat.

"Sasuke will always be mine."

Naruto looked straight in Kakashi's eyes. He wasn't a kid throwing a tantrum, he was dead serious. He turned Sasuke to face the older man, before sinking his teeth into his throat.

 _Sasuke looked lost into the void, for he was just Naruto's slave, and even though he was being bitten and manhandled and displayed what was happening between the other men was their showdown, not his._

"You'll always be mine," Naruto told Sasuke, his voice sounding somehow affectionate, before turning to a feral growl, "No matter what happens."

He left Sasuke inside the room when he escorted Kakashi out.

The former Sixth Hokage didn't see the Seventh disappearing from beside him and reappearing in front of him, in sannin mode.

 _Kakashi would have never thought that his former pupil would have turned against him, his killing intent seeping through a venomous look he had never seen on him._

 _He didn't remember the last time he had been afraid, for his safety and for the village._

"Thanks for your hard work, Hatake Kakashi. I don't need your service anymore."

Thus Kakashi retired and Shikamaru became Naruto's only advisor.

Much to the copy nin's dismay though, despite having understood the need for more sharingan and having followed his last advice, nothing changed in Naruto and Sasuke's relationship. Sasuke kept working as the Hokage's personal Anbu, spending all his time with him, obeying to his every whims.

 _He didn't belong to the village or to Sakura, only to Naruto._

* * *

Things changed only when a new threat was detected: remnants of Kaguya's chakra floating around, imperceptible to everyone except for Sasuke. Only when Naruto too, in sage mode, got a faint glimpse of them, he allowed the Uchiha to investigate in his own way, as the only shinobi with a Rinnegan and the ability to travel through dimensions.

 _Sasuke dismissed his Anbu uniform, explaining that it was better if he stayed undetected and unrecognizable from unknown enemies and allies alike, so that the Hokage would not be held accountable in case anything went wrong._

 _It was right, like every strategy he had come up with, yet Naruto was tempted to reject it._

 _Sasuke belonged to him. He had defeated him, he had saved him, he had promised Itachi to take care of him, he had claimed him as his own; his place was there, beside him as his friend and most important person, behind him as his personal guard, before him, kneeling as his slave, beneath him, as his lover, or his pet._

 _Despite knowing how serious the threat was Naruto hated to send him away, and if only someone else had his ability he would have never allowed him to leave, if only his daughter were older and stronger, enough to have her father's eye transplanted...he found himself fantasizing. Anything to keep him close._

When Sasuke returned from his first recognition he thought that he had been away a few days, instead a month had passed, for time flew differently where he had been.

He rushed towards the Hokage building; there was a Kage meeting that day, that he was supposed to attend as Naruto's guard. It was late for that, but it was the right time to warn everyone about the danger lurking above all of them.

He told the leaders of the Shinobi Alliance that he had always found odd that Kaguya didn't have other descendants or underlings. His doubts had been confirmed when, during the years of the Sixth, the village had been targeted by another Ootsutsuki, and, more recently, when he had sensed that kind of chakra again. Having found evidence that the goddess' progeny hid in other dimensions, he intended to chase them around _there_ , wherever it might be, obtaining all the information he could, hopefully taking them down on his own.

Everyone approved of his decision _-how could they not? Nothing was required of them, everything would weigh on the shoulders of a former traitor who was only useful as a tool-_ except for Naruto, who startled everyone declaring that he would join his friend, until Sasuke quietly touched his arm, to remind him where he belonged.

 _Where they both belonged: Naruto in the spotlight, basking in popularity, admired by everyone, Sasuke in the shadows, risking his life to protect them despite being seen as an irredeemable traitor._

He was surprised when he heard himself adding that he was just putting into practice the cooperation Naruto had talked about years before.

Naruto was surprised too: for the first time Sasuke sounded bitter, disillusioned, as if he didn't believe in him _-he and the system were the same thing-_ even though they were among the other Kage, so his tone felt like a challenge. A lack of respect.

How dared he disrespect his authority and make decisions without consulting him first?

 _How dared he decide to leave the one who defeated him, and in doing so he saved him?_

Sasuke belonged to him, Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage, that at that time was presiding over an official meeting, even though he just wanted to kick everyone out and give the Uchiha a lesson about respect, until he cried out in pain and begged for his forgiveness, but he pushed his anger back, for there would soon come the right time to let it all out.

* * *

When Naruto was younger he found odd that someone logical and detached like Sasuke became emotional and impulsive when he was desperate or furious.

He had seen that side of him when he had first met Itachi, when his friend had paid no attention to him, too focused on attacking the brother whose actions were cold and cruel, too uncaring of how hopeless he was against him.

 _Too uncaring of anyone who wasn't Itachi, even though Naruto was there too._

He had seen that side of him during their genin days, when the Uchiha had beaten to a pulp an opponent who had taunted him, saying that he wasn't even worthy of being killed by Itachi.

He had seen that side of him when, after he had killed Danzo, he had cried out his hate for Konoha and his love for Itachi and his need to have him back.

He had seen that side of him during their final fight, when, his mind lost and his body exhausted, he had urged Naruto to give up, to let him go on with his plan of spending eternity alone, of embodying what a real Hokage should be, protecting the world from the shadows like Itachi had done.

 _Every time that Sasuke had lost his temper that way it had been about Itachi, one way or another, directly or indirectly. Naruto hated that._

Naruto was his complete opposite: usually cheerful, loud and openly voicing his emotions, when he was angry or sad he became silent, composed.

He became deadly cold, like he was after everyone was gone, leaving the both of them in the empty meeting room.

"You shouldn't have disrespected me in front of them."

He started, not exactly knowing what to say, only knowing that he hadn't been this angry in a long time _-even though Sasuke seemed to have the ability to draw his anger out every time-_ because his authority had been ignored, because the friend he defeated, and saved, and claimed, was about to leave the village after everything he had done to bring him back.

Lowering his head, Sasuke apologized, explaining again how time flew differently in other dimensions, how he had hurried to bring him evidence of a worrisome threat, how he had seen no harm in informing those whom the Seventh himself respected as allies and friends.

 _Sasuke had always been pure and honest in his feelings, ideals and goals._

 _This time he was acting to protect the village, to redeem himself, to honor Itachi's wish, to be worthy of Naruto. After the isolation and the abuse in jail, after the loneliness and guilt-trips, he had been conditioned to put the one who saved him on a pedestal, for after everything he was done his friend still accepted him. He still loved him, even though he hadn't kept his promise and the truth hadn't been made public and there were still orphans, even though he hadn't stopped Kakashi from forcing him to get married._

 _He still loved him, even though he liked to hurt him with his hands and feet and teeth and words, even moreso if he hurt him, because it meant that he cared, it meant that he loved him so much that he had to hurt him for his own good. Just like Itachi had done._

Naruto positioned his hands to perform a jutsu.

"Maybe I should have let the Kage stay for your punishment," he said in a low menacing voice, as a clone appeared beside him.

"You were so eager to please them, do you think they care about you? Because they don't."

Another clone appeared, sitting on the long circular bench that was carved out from the round walls.

"I care about you, instead. I even got on my knees before the former Raikage, begging him not to kill you."

Another clone appeared, leaning on the oval table.

"What about you, Sasuke. Do you care about me?"

A fourth clone appeared behind the Uchiha. He grabbed his upper arm _-and his stub, a constant reminder of his attempt to kill his best friend and savior. A reminder that he was a traitor and a criminal who only deserved punishment-_ and intertwined his muscular legs to Sasuke's toned yet thinner ones.

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

Sasuke replied.

 _Despite finding extremely erotic the sight of many copies of himself surrounding Sasuke like beasts around their prey, he couldn't shake off what the Uchiha said about that jutsu representing a way to channel his loneliness._

 _He hated those words. He was the one whom everyone admired, he was the one who had always been good with people, not Sasuke, who nevertheless had nailed that in a way he himself hadn't understood before he had heard him._

 _He hated those words. They brought out flashbacks of his childhood, when he was shunned by everyone. They brought out his darker, angrier side._

 _Or maybe it was Sasuke, who truly had the ability to draw it out._

"Then why you do this to me?"

Naruto hissed between gritted teeth as the clone beside him swept the Uchiha's long bang behind his ear, before his fist made contact with his cheek, almost instantly leaving a dark bruise.

"Why can't you just respect me like everyone else?"

He coldly hissed again, as his copy hit Sasuke's midsection, again and again.

"Why can't you just love me like everyone else?"

The more Naruto's copy hit him, the deeper Sasuke was pressed against the other one keeping him still, his grip as hard as his cock.

 _When Naruto said love he didn't mean the fluttering feeling that filled the mouths and hearts of silly girls, for they were the sun and the moon, the yang and the yin, the descendants of Ashura and Indra, of Hashirama and Madara. What they had was stronger and primal like him, duskier and deeper like Sasuke._

His head hanging forward, bangs once again covering half of his face, Sasuke didn't react when the clone leaning on the table joined them, tracing his collarbone, going up to his jaw, smearing his finger with the blood on his lips and tasting it, but he jolted when his hair were pulled and his throat bitten in a way that had little human in it.

"Do you remember? You are mine, Sasuke. No matter what happens," Naruto echoed his words to Kakashi, just like his clone repeated his action from that time.

 _Naruto caressed his own hands as he spoke, savoring the sensation of fists hitting taut flesh, purposely ignoring the other kinds of sensations._

The clone on the bench rose from his seat and stripped the Uchiha bare, touching him all over while the other kept devouring his throat, while the one who had beaten him up captured his lips in a long, feverish kiss, leaving a trail of saliva as their mouths parted, all the while the one keeping him still never stopped rubbing his cock against his ass, and never loosened his grip, even when they laid him on the ground, legs parted and arms outstretched, still gripped by the one who kept him still when they were standing, who didn't seem to feel his weight at all. In fact, the difference in their build was even more evident in that position.

 _Sasuke always felt uncomfortable when Naruto used kage bunshin, but he never said anything. He couldn't say no to his savior, after all._

 _This time it was different though._

 _This time it was similar to something he didn't remember, yet that filled him with fear and anger and sadness._

It was impossible for Sasuke to keep track of who was doing what to him. He only knew that someone forced his mouth open to fuck his face, that someone lifted his ass and stretched him roughly, that someone else clasped his throat to feel it vibrating as he choked out a scream when he was penetrated, that another one stroked himself while straddling him, while the other beneath him kept grinding upwards as if they all weighed nothing.

He didn't even realize that someone was pumping him, the sensation of being constricted, choked and crushed being overwhelming.

He didn't even realize that he was shaking and squirming, trying to get free, almost hyperventilating, his body remembering what his mind had been forced to forget -what had happened in jail many times.

The real Naruto watched them, hovering over him, idly stroking his length, both aroused by the sight of the pale body shaking and wriggling under so many copies of himself, of the tears flowing from the Uchiha's eyes, of his strained and stretched throat and his legs, gripped and parted and scratched as he was being fucked.

As he was being punished, for that was his punishment.

When it was over Sasuke was trembling, his skin marred by bruises and scratches and semen and blood.

The blond dispelled the clones and pulled the other to his chest. He didn't expect that his usually stoic friend would be so shocked, but he saw it as a good sign, meaning that the punishment got to him, along with its message: he was Sasuke's one and only, he would always be, heavy and overwhelming like his clones ravaging his body.

* * *

Both Hinata and the staff working for the Hokage know well that Naruto is antsy and distracted as the meeting day is approaching.

 _He can't wait to see Sasuke again. He hates not having him around as his Anbu, just like he hates not having him pliant beneath him._

He misses the times when he and Sasuke lived together in his apartment, after the Uchiha returned from his journey.

It didn't last long: after a few months Kakashi found Sasuke a place to live on his own, very close to the elder's apartment.

 _Too close, according to Naruto._

Nevertheless he visited Sasuke everytime he could, and it was almost like living together again, until the Sixth discouraged them from doing so, in order to keep the reputation of the future Hokage intact.

Naruto didn't understand: why would anyone accuse him of associating with a traitor, when he had already saved him?

His reservations against his former sensei were still vague, yet growing stronger with time, with each decision and prohibition the Sixth imposed on him.

 _Was it really like Kakashi said or did he just want to separate them?_

 _What if, like Orochimaru and Obito before, he wanted the young man for himself?_

Living with Sasuke was easy, even though Naruto's apartment was cramped. He was neat and organized: the day after he arrived he cleaned up the whole place without judging or scolding him, unlike everyone else had done until then.

His belongings being close to nothing he only occupied a small drawer with his uniform and a few spare clothes.

 _When Naruto saw that Sasuke possessed so little things he remembered that Itachi had defined him a clean slate, that anyone could have painted with their colors._

 _He told himself that it was finally his turn to paint him, with a color impossible to wash away._

Unexpectedly, Sasuke was also a good cook. At first the blond complained, not understanding why he only ate rice and vegetables.

He stopped complaining once he was told the reason.

 _He couldn't eat anything with a heart, anything that spilled blood, anything that had been killed, because his family had suffered the same fate, Sasuke muttered once, his black eyes piercing Naruto's blue ones._

Besides, the dishes he prepared were really tasty, even for someone who had always hated vegetables.

 _Maybe because Sasuke was the one cooking them. Maybe because no one had cooked for Naruto before._

Everyday chores were pleasant activities when done together. Chopping green onions and mushrooms side by side, washing the dishes, folding laundry, were occasions to talk. Naruto did most of it, reminiscing things he saw and people he met. Sasuke listened, usually doing most of the other's share too. Sometimes he made a comment about things he saw and people he met too.

When they were at the hospital Naruto would have loved to hear Sasuke talking about his life, but after having claimed him as his own he couldn't help but feel hostile towards everyone who had had some sort of relationship with him.

 _Sasuke mentioned Suigetsu once, as he told Naruto about the time he had seen the bridge named after him. Out of the blue, the blond slammed him against the fridge, arm across his throat, asking if his former comrade had touched him too._

 _Orochimaru, Kabuto, Obito, Juugo, Karin, Suigetsu: Naruto jumbled them up as if they were a single entity with a multitude of tentacles, all set to snatch his friend away from him._

 _Sasuke didn't mind Naruto's mood swings, he had just gotten back to Konoha, after a long solitary journey that had followed his imprisonment, which, in turn, had followed their hospitalization, when Naruto had pushed his need for intimacy on him, and he had accepted his best friend and savior's request because he trusted him when he said that he cared about him so much that he got angry thinking about his life under Orochimaru, or Obito, and even hearing about his team reminded him of the dangers he went through, and he couldn't bear to suffer anymore, after all the years he had spent chasing after him._

 _Sasuke didn't mind Naruto's mood swings, because he owed him, because he deserved to be punished, just like his savior deserved to punish him._

It was inevitable that Sasuke's strongest bond became Naruto's biggest threat.

* * *

Naruto kept his hair shorter compared to the past. Sasuke's was longer instead, as it certainly wasn't in his thoughts when he was in jail or travelling.

 _Kakashi used to cut his hair while he was in jail; he accidentally cut it too short once, like Obito's. Sasuke couldn't remember it though._

 _There were many things he couldn't remember about that time and what Kakashi did to him, directly or indirectly._

He never cared about his appearance anyway.

 _After the massacre he would look raid the compound's closets until he found something in his size, just because he wasn't able to sew the Uchiha's crest yet, and he desperately needed to belong with his clan. Then it was Orochimaru who chose his clothes -the easier to remove the better- and it was fine to him, as long as they allowed him to fight at his best. He hadn't bothered changing his style after the sannin's defeat -only Itachi mattered- and when he got new stuff, because the old one got destroyed during fights, it was practical and cheap, as he first had to buy supplies, weapons and food for his team._

At some point in his journey, as Sasuke was crossing a desert land with little commodities, his hair had grown considerably, even the spikes in the back of his head. He used to wear a headband so that the strong desert wind wouldn't blow it in his face.

Nevertheless, when he cut them he kept the long bang, as he didn't like to draw attention because of his Rinnegan.

 _He didn't like how his left eye didn't look like his brother's anymore._

When they grew longer again, once back in Konoha, he noticed that he looked a little like Itachi. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

 _He wasn't sure if an unworthy criminal had the right to look like such a hero._

It was Naruto who pointed out their resemblance, as to him they were very different.

 _His brother was perfect, unlike him._

It was Naruto who offered to cut it again, as he saw such resemblance as a threat to their bond.

 _It was inevitable that Sasuke's strongest bond became Naruto's biggest threat._

Little by little, the very mention of Itachi's name irritated him so visibly that the Uchiha stopped talking about him.

 _For Sasuke talking about his brother was a way to feel him close, and he was grateful to Naruto who asked questions about him, yet despite being confused and saddened by the change in his attitude, he respected it and he respected his best friend and savior, the one Itachi himself entrusted him to._

They replaced Naruto's small bed with two had already slept together, in the hospital and during their genin days, but this felt more real, with Sasuke lying on his side and Naruto tangled to him, already familiar with the boy's troubled sleep, and how he tossed and turned and whimpered and muttered broken words.

 _For Naruto, everything started with those broken sounds, and the moonlight illuminating their hospital room._

Sometimes Naruto would hold him tight, trying to calm him down, whispering in his ear that everything was alright, that he was there for him.

Sometimes he was mesmerized by how pain enhanced his friend's beauty, making it more tragic and intense, and just like in the past he would touch him, and he would touch himself. Sometimes he would pull the young man's sleeping pants down, Sasuke would open his eyes and, half asleep, he would let the blond play with his body however he wanted.

 _If Naruto wanted his body giving it to him was was the least he could do, after everything his best friend and savior had done for him._

Sasuke's nightmares were mostly about the massacre, because he whimpered, calling his mother and father, begging his brother to stop.

 _Or to not leave him behind._

Other times he dreamed about Itachi's death, he asked for his forgiveness, he cried that he was sorry, that he hadn't understood, that he had killed him.

For Naruto, whose focus had always shifted from one person to another, according to whom he met every time _-yet Sasuke had always been in the back of his mind-_ it was weird that his nightmares were never about anyone else.

 _Sasuke had always been different from him. He dismissed Obito, he dismissed Orochimaru as irrelevant. He would have done the same to what had happened in jail, if he hadn't been conditioned to forget it. It was just his body anyway._

 _He needed strength, they wanted something in exchange: it was just means to an end, and his end was Itachi. It was always Itachi._

Naruto asked him why he never dreamed about him. "How would I know?" Sasuke scoffed, adding that it probably was because they were always together.

The blond knew how badly traumatized his friend was. In fact he realized that he had always been, even when they were genin and the Uchiha arrived on time at every appointment, looking tired and gaunt but never complaining, even when they attended the Academy and he got the best grades in everything, except for teamwork, because he was so much better than anyone else that he refused to slow down for them, until he proved to be way better than him or Sakura at working in a team during real missions, to the point of risking his life for him on more than one occasion.

Nevertheless, Naruto couldn't accept to be ignored, even if only in Sasuke's dreams.

Dreams were the expression of his subconscious after all, of his deepest feelings, fears and desires.

Naruto had saved him. He was taking care of him. He deserved to be in his dreams, and he deserved to he in his heart.

Or rather, Itachi didn't deserve to be in his dreams, and in his heart, anymore.

* * *

One night Naruto woke up hearing Sasuke moaning Itachi's name.

It took him a while to realize that the sensual voice he had heard was a dream, a result of his fears and the Uchiha's real cries, as, lost in a nightmare, he was calling out his brother.

It took him a second to realize that he had to help his friend, as Itachi was no more, as Itachi had entrusted his little brother to him, as it was time to kill Itachi and bury him deep down his memories, to move on and focus on who was there for him, who had always been, so he did what first came to his mind: he straddled his waist and pinned his wrists above his head, calling his name over and over as he put all his weight on him.

 _To ground him to reality -to him. For he was his only reality._

When Sasuke opened his eyes and felt the tears on his cheeks he looked away.

"Itachi, Itachi...always Itachi...why are you still so attached to him?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. His heart was still beating fast, Naruto could feel it pulsing in his wrists.

"What do you mean?" He muttered.

 _Itachi would always be a part of him: he sacrificed their clan to let him live. He was his reason to live when he just wanted to die. He still was._

Naruto repeated his question again. Sasuke's eyes widened, as if his friend was crazy, or stupid. He didn't let even him finish.

"He is my brother."

 _He is my role model. Even though I am nothing like him. Even though I am not worthy of him, for I am a traitor who strayed from path you carved out for me, who had to be defeated then saved by the one you entrusted me to, to whom I devoted my life in return, because he deserves it, because he is the strongest. Almost as much as you, niisan._

"I can't let you go on like this, Sasuke..." The blond whispered.

"Sorry I woke you up. I'll make sure it won't happen again."

Sasuke cut short, but to the other it meant nothing..

 _Naruto didn't care about waking up in the dead of the night; he only cared about Sasuke._

"I promised Itachi to take care of you, and I intend to do it my way."

Naruto evened his voice before speaking again, knowing that his friend wouldn't want to hear it, yet no longer able to keep it to himself.

"I'm grateful to Itachi, he was a hero, he saved the village and he released the Edo Tensei, and most of it all he saved you."

When they were at the hospital he had promised Sasuke that he would have helped him clear his brother's name and make the truth public _-his friend had allowed him to do whatever he wanted with his body because of that-_ but then the Uchiha had been imprisoned then sent on a journey, while he had gotten his arm back, he had begun to study in order to become Hokage and he had been told that what Sasuke wanted was dangerous for the stability of the village.

It broke his heart to see his friend hoping for something he couldn't have, but at the same time it made him feel powerful, because his friend trusted him, because his friend looked up to him, because he was above him in rank and power and _everything else_.

 _It was exhilarating to know that the one he had once struggled to reach, didn't just respect him, he also depended on him._

"When we were genin Kakashi sensei always told me to learn from you, who was detached and rational. I hated when he said so but I was also jealous of how calm and objective you were, of how you were able to come up with a plan when I just wanted to tackle the enemy."

Remembering those times the lower corner of Sasuke's lip curled slightly upwards.

"You did the same during the war. You stopped me from rushing to Kakashi sensei and Sakura, reminding me that I couldn't risk my life for them because only the two of us could have stopped Kaguya."

 _Only the two of them mattered, Naruto told himself._

"When it's about Itachi you're not like this. You never have been. I was there, you know…"

Naruto continued.

"I know that he's your brother and you will always love him but you gotta be objective, Sasuke. Itachi saved your life, but he made you pay the highest price."

He covered Sasuke's face with his mouth, because the Uchiha was about to speak, and they would have fought, and he didn't want this, not at that time, not when he just wanted to help his most important person out of his nightmare, not when he just wanted to bring his most important person into his heart.

 _In the past Sasuke would have bitten off that hand silencing him as he was about to defend his beloved brother, but he couldn't do that to the one who had saved him, just like he couldn't tell him that Konoha ruined his life -their lives- not Itachi, who was manipulated with him as a leverage, but he couldn't tell it to the one who would soon represent the very village that had given his brother a mission to slaughter their entire clan, the very village that had imprisoned him, he couldn't tell it to the one who had saved him._

"Itachi lied to you. He left you alone. He fostered hate in you, until you couldn't feel anything else," Naruto kept pushing his words, heavy like his body on top of Sasuke's, "He forced you to focus only on him, instead of letting you live your life…"

Sasuke tried to shake the other off himself, he wanted to get out of bed and go out for a walk in the woods, alone, silence and animals as his only companions, because he couldn't hear this, not from his only friend and savior.

He managed to prop himself on his elbow, albeit precariously, the blond still straddling him.

"He was young and Danzo took advantage of his love for you. He really loved you, this I know…I felt it when I met him. I understand it because it's the same for me..."

 _Something inside Sasuke would have liked to point out that it was not the same, yet it remained in the recesses of his mind, buried beneath layers of guilt and pledges of loyalty because he was just a criminal who had deserved everything they did to him, while his brother was a hero who had saved him. Like Naruto._

 _Maybe it was the same, only he was too flawed to see it._

"But...he made you suffer so much, and I can't see you go on like this anymore, not after he's been dead for so long, not after he entrusted you to me."

Naruto's blue eyes were firm, yet there was a glimmer of softness in them, as they were fixed on Sasuke's pitch black, broken ones, as his mouth spoke words the other couldn't fully understand _-didn't he deserve to suffer, to atone for his sins?-_ and his fingers clawed at his good arm, in a confusing display of kindness and dominance.

 _There was nothing strange in it; Naruto would be a popular, well loved Hokage soon, that's how strong leaders were. That's how his brother used to be once._

 _That's how his brother would have been if he hadn't thrown his honor and future away to save him._

"I love you so much, Sasuke...so much that these words don't even feel right, just sappy and lame and weak compared to what I have inside", Naruto's fist pointed to his own chest, to his own heart, to the beast inside him.

"I want you to only focus on me. I want you to give in to me, Sasuke."

Naruto's lips brushed the other's, as he leaned for a tender kiss, his fingers softly stroking his cheek and sweeping his hair behind his ear. The contact became heated and passionate and uncharacteristically slow, for someone who was usually in a rush to connect with his friend, the one he had saved. The one he had claimed.

For Sasuke it was like drowning, willingly and knowingly, caught between painful memories of his beloved brother -happy memories were just as painful, maybe even moreso- and the consequent need to fight for justice, and a present where he should be grateful and happy to have been saved and accepted back into the village, yet he just felt empty and lost, remembering the past causing a cognitive dissonance caused by a conditioning he didn't remember to have received.

 _Maybe that was why Naruto wanted him to focus on the present._

 _Maybe that was why Naruto became angry and violent when he didn't._

 _He really cared about him._

Naruto was just as slow and tender when he took him that night.

He returned to his usual self when, a few days later, he came back from a boring mission where he did nothing but think about him, he told the Uchiha, assaulting him as soon as he pulled his shoes off.

He had visited him in jail once, he told the other, he had seen his sealed eyes and his limbs restrained by a straightjacket, he had tried to talk to him but received no response. Kakashi had explained him that it was a side effect of the seal _-not the consequence of tortures and abuse-_ so once removed the Uchiha would be fine, and he had believed him.

 _He would regret believing him one day, but back then his words had reassured him, so much that thinking about his friend in prison, he had focused on the contrast between the dark bleak walls and his paleness and his rosy lips, on his tragic beauty that he desired so much._

Naruto took off his headband to blindfold Sasuke, something he had never done because he loved to have his beautiful friend's eyes on him; only when the other stiffened up he asked him permission to go on, to which Sasuke grumbled that he should have asked earlier, if he really cared.

"I do!"

Naruto growled, lowering him onto the futon, tracing the contour of his semi parted lips, chin and jaw, as Sasuke's fingers gripped his sleeve, half for his touch, half because his body remembered _things_ his mind didn't.

"I care about you more than anyone ever did," He continued, unceremoniously stripping the both of them, "I care about you more than your brother ever did."

He ignored Sasuke's protests by covering his mouth once again, before covering his body with his own, before diving into him over and over.

* * *

Naruto had nothing against Itachi.

In fact, he had had the best impression of him when they had fought side by side, and the good impression had been mutual, or the older Uchiha wouldn't have entrusted his little brother to him.

He knew how much he cared for Sasuke. He would have approved of what he was doing since he had saved him, for he was protecting him from bad things, from all the bad things, and Itachi was one of them.

Not because to spare his brother's life he had destroyed it nevertheless, but because he had exerted such immense force to draw said brother's life, mind and heart towards him, that even after his death he was still pulled towards his memory, like a black hole sucking the life out of him, indifferent to the light that Naruto, the sun, was shining upon him, the moon.

Back then Itachi's actions didn't matter to Naruto, nor they would matter later, once he took the very place of the one who had turned a blind eye on his terrible mission.

The only thing that mattered to him was that although he'd been dead for years, Itachi was still a wall between him and Sasuke.

A wall that he had to tear down, in order to save his friend from himself.

A wall that he had to tear down, in order to have his friend all for himself.

* * *

" _Disarm you with a smile  
_ _And leave you like they left me here  
_ _To wither in denial  
_ _The bitterness of one who's left alone  
_ _Ooh, the years burn" (Smashing Pumpkins, Disarm)_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_

 _ **Thanks to Killer Sangwoo for the review.**_

 _ **The underlying theme was Naruto reaffirming his dominance over Sasuke, both against Kakashi, realizing he has made a mistake letting Sasuke go, letting him marry and basically listening to Kakashi's advice, and against Itachi, screwing up with Sasuke's mind and putting him in a bad light.**_

 _ **Naruto is in prison too, sort of. He's in charge and he owns Sasuke, but he's also owned by Konoha, although he doesn't really care, he only wants Sasuke, whom he never feels entirely his.**_

 _ **This fic is a sequel to In The Dark, which is a dark Kakasasu with a very disturbed and manipulative Kakashi. Here only his manipulative side is shown, not his reasons or his inner struggle, as the fic focuses on Naruto and Sasuke, but it's a sequel to that fic so his reasons reasons are explained there: he was a victim of Konoha too, so much that he erased his own self and devoted his life to the village only, this trying to turn others like that as well.**_

 _ **I guess I'll never stop shipping Kakasasu, so I'm always sorry to write him as such an asshole, but I'm just expanding on what canon showed. Besides I'm convinced that the ending confirmed both dark Kakashi and dark Naruto, so dark Kakasasu and dark Narusasu. (btw, another reminder that it's my fic and my opinion so if you disagree you can take your opinion elsewhere)**_

 _ **Canon describes very well Sasuke's badassery and powers so I don't feel the need to do it again, I prefer to focus on his vulnerability instead. Nevertheless I described his strategy and reasonings, because despite the brainwashing affected his emotional side, his logical/strategic side is still amazing. Here Naruto is calmer, an adult and a leader, although he's not as Sasuke's level.**_

 _ **Sasuke's powers are better, more varied and cooler while Naruto's are boring, also he's smarter. Yet even though they're supposed to be equal I think that Naruto is slightly stronger than Sasuke because of Kyuubi's chakra and his endless stamina. Also I like Sasuke to be the smart one, the fast one with a more fragile body, contrasting with the other's raw strength. It's like this in canon, anyway, even during their final fight, Naruto was awake since a while when Sasuke woke up groaning in pain.**_

 _ **Speaking of their fight, I never liked Sasuke comparing Naruto to Itachi but in this context ir conveys how brainwashed he is, thinking to be unworthy of Naruto just like he was unworthy of Itachi.**_

 _ **I threw my vegetarian Sasuke headcanons into this. I wanted to do it in In Power but I don't know when I'll get to it and this was a right time. In this flashback Naruto is still pure, acting on his instincts and feelings, protective and possessive of Sasuke, he hurts him but he also wants him to be happy in his own way, he's not as jaded and possessive as he is as Hokage.**_

 _ **I once read somewhere "If you meet God kill him". I was inspired by that, for the concept of killing Itachi in Sasuke's memory.**_


	4. Wings And Claws

_**This is the final chapter and it's closely connected to the previous one, since I originally wrote it as one but it became so long that I had to split it.**_

 _ **I shouldn't even mention this but it's extremely anti-ending, its pairings and kids. I hate sasusaku and sarada and this is my story. Naruto too, just like everyone else (except for Sasuke), is depicted the chapters I described his descent into darkness, obsession and insanity. Unlike the others though, I also explain his childhood trauma that brought him to this point. I'm not certainly defending him and what he did, and failed to do, to give Sasuke justice, but I find his dark, possessive side more interesting than his ball of sunshine persona everyone seems to love.**_

 _ **Thinking about it, the only way I can deal with the ending and anything post ending is through dark imagery like the one I wrote in this fic, or in its dark Kakasasu/mobsasu prequel In The Dark, or in What He Wanted. Otherwise I just want to band my head against the wall for how much I hate it and what they did to Sasuke. Only darkfics are a way to explain myself and cope with it.**_

 _ **There are some underlying themes that are easy to spot. There is also some foreshadowing to the sequel of this story, because there will be one and it will be dark and kind of surreal, for some aspects. And references, to In The Dark, to an Acairo doujinshi called Adagio, to something Sesilet-Nymphet said about Sasuke's Susano'o and its inner meaning, to the Gaiden manga flashback, after the Kage meeting, to a scene in the new generation anime, where Naruto and Sasuke meet in the woods. I am not watching it, I saw it through gifsets and screenshots, so what I write is my impression of it. Also, I find Sasuke asking questions something endearing of him.**_

 _ **There are some flashbacks but they are in past tense while the story is in present tense so they're not confusing I think.**_

 _ **Like I said before, the repetitions of themes and concepts are on purpose, to convey Sasuke's brainwashed, guilt ridden mind, and Naruto's obsession.**_

 _ **In case it's not clear, Naruto's actions towards Sasuke aren't born out of sheer sexual desire. What he does is about more about power than gratification, what he most craves is exerting his power over Sasuke, what he most enjoys is seeing the effects of his power over him, his submission, because he finally has Sasuke back and he does what he wants with him, and Sasuke lets him, because he's always been passive towards him (and everyone else), because he's yin and Naruto's yang, because even moreso after the ending he is empty and detached, dead inside.**_

 _ **I described their different build again, and why they're like that again, just because I like it. Also, I really like the detail of Sasuke's knees both in the NarutoSasuke vs Boruto villains scenes I saw, and during the episodes before he and Team Taka attack the kage meeting. It's a little detail but in both scenes they seem kinda bony under his pants and it's cute.**_

 _ **Any technical detail about chakra that doesn't make sense, I don't care. My writing has a purpose which is not going technical about stuff. In this particular story even the astronomical references in the end are off, because they serve a purpose.**_

 _ **I shouldn't be repeating this either but since it seems like some people don't understand the obvious, this is a darkfic, where Naruto and Sasuke's bond is depicted as dark, unhealthy, abusive, and so on. My reasons to write what I write are just mine, and I don't want to hear your sob story about why you can't handle my writing, since I clearly specified its content. If you read something knowing that it triggers you it's your problem, not mine.**_

 _ **Also, have some common sense. Constructive criticism is pointing out grammar mistakes co, criticizing plot and characterization is not constructive, since the author is aware of what they're writing and why. When they're unsure they ask readers, and that's when it's constructive to leave feedback on those. I'm not one of those authors. I write exactly what I want to write, so if your opinion on characters and their dynamic is different, write your own story, because I couldn't care less if you think I'm wrong and I'm not going to reply to that sort of comments anyway.**_

 _ **On a lighter (or not) note, it ain't avenger hawk's fic if there is no choking, blood and bruises everywhere.**_

* * *

" _We're just two lost souls_  
 _Swimming in a fishbowl,_  
 _Year after year" (Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here)_

* * *

Their meetings always take place on full moon nights.

The massacre happened on a full moon night too, and Itachi entrusted his brother to him, so it has a deep meaning for Naruto.

 _As if he replaced Itachi. As if he were like Itachi._

 _Sometimes he feels that he is indeed like Itachi, when he works day and night and the village is his only thought, or when a battered and bruised and bloodied Sasuke looks up at him from the ground, with exhausted, incredulous eyes._

 _Usually he feels that he is much better than Itachi, for he is Uzumaki Naruto, hauled as a hero by everyone. Even Sasuke, whom he defeated and saved and claimed as his own._

"Hokage-sama."

Sasuke knocks to announce himself. When he enters he stays by the door, unmoving, black cloak covering most of his body, black bangs covering half of his face.

 _He doesn't kneel before Naruto as he's no longer Anbu, but he will kneel soon as he's still Naruto's property, and he'll forever be._

"You're late."

Naruto states dryly, not turning his face from the window until Sasuke speaks again.

"I apologize."

Travelling through dimensions is exhausting; Sasuke has only one Rinnegan and his chakra reserve is nothing like a Senju's.

 _Besides, the emptiness, the silence, the nothingness he finds in other dimensions are somehow comforting, against the painful memories and the incessant voices enumerating the sins and crimes that he'll never fully atone for, no matter how hard he tries, no matter if he devoted his life to serve the village and his savior, whose voice is the loudest, the strongest, the only one that counts now._

He had to stop, the Uchiha explains, get some rest and some chakra back, or he wouldn't have been able to stand up.

 _He won't be able to stand up, once Naruto is done with him either._

He apologizes formally when the Hokage reminds him that he is not the Sixth, thus he requires punctuality.

He's definitely not the Sixth: Kakashi never looked at Sasuke that way - _not even during his jail time. Maybe. Sasuke can't remember that period-_ unfocused yet extremely focused, just like the first time at the hospital, when he was on top of him, touching himself.

"Let me see you, Sasuke."

Naruto always orders. He turns towards him, takes the cloak off his hands and throws it on the couch. He does the same with his waistcoat, then he unbuttons his shirt.

Sasuke is almost as tall as him yet he looks much smaller in comparison.

 _Despite his powers, his abilities and his smarts he looks vulnerable. Just the way Naruto likes him._

To train his new arm Naruto went through rehabilitation, then his new lifestyle and his Senju build and chakra did the rest. Now he's a very tall muscled man, with tanned skin and short blond hair, an angular jaw and big strong hands, the signs of the passing of time and overwork only written on the wrinkles around his eyes.

On the contrary, Sasuke has been travelling since he defeated Orochimaru, he has been imprisoned, then sent on a long journey of redemption, and after a sedentary phase as the Hokage's Anbu he has been wandering once again, so he is lean and lithe.

 _For someone who lived outdoors for so long he's unexpectedly pale, as if the moonlight can't be touched by the sun._

 _Even though he allowed his sun to touch him, to burn him every time._

His black hair are longer now, the spikes in the back are gone, and a long bang covers not only his Rinnegan eye but the whole left side of his face.

The visible right side reveals faint signs of the passing of time, along with stronger signs of weariness, dark circles under tired eyes.

 _He resembles Madara a little, but unlike his ancestor Sasuke is completely loyal._

 _Naruto tamed him, he reminds himself, pride filling his chest because if he did it means that he's stronger than Hashirama, the god of shinobi. Arousal sends hot rushes through his body whenever he thinks about this, about having complete power over the friend and rival he chased after for so long, about the two of them being acknowledged as united by destiny, like the sun giving part of its light to the moon._

Since he lost his arm, Sasuke always wears long sleeves; Naruto finds endearing how one hangs in an odd, flowy way.

He must have lost weight, as his knees seem bonier under his trousers, that after taking off his belt hang incredibly low on his hips.

"You get thinner every time..."

Naruto comments, stroking his chest, feeling his muscles twitch and his ribs so close.

So easy to break.

 _At first Naruto was ashamed of these thoughts, but the more he gave in to his instincts the more his mind provided justifications, until he just assumed that Sasuke could take everything he did to him because he belonged to him._

 _Or because he was already broken._

"This is how I am, Hokage-sama."

Sasuke whispers, stripping Naruto of his clothes.

"I should decide how you have to be."

Naruto's voice is low as he takes the Uchiha's shirt off and throws it somewhere, his other hand tracing his hip bones and stomach.

 _There's a scar on his side: it reminds Naruto of one of their first meetings._

 _The investigation had started only a few months before. The appointed place was a cave near a lake. Sasuke was already there, yet, strangely enough, he didn't budge when the blonde arrived. In fact, his eyes were closed and he was clutching his side._

 _Naruto had seen him sleeping so many times that he could tell how feverish he was without even touching his forehead, but when he did, he also saw the blood._

 _The dimension he was exploring had knife-like ice stalactites everywhere; one broke off and pierced him, Sasuke explained once the fever was gone, trying to ignore the burning feeling under his skin -and inside him- because Naruto had instilled Kyuubi's chakra inside him, bringing him back to life by spilling his seed into him, fucking him as he was half unconscious._

"How do you want me to be, Hokage-Sama?"

Sasuke asks, voice devoid of any emotion, for this happened so many times that his body acts on its own, his head bowing slightly, his knees bending.

 _Naruto defeated him, Naruto saved him, and he belongs to him in body, mind and soul._

 _Even if his mind is haunted by sensations and memories he can't place, like a seal fading with time, even if his soul is tied to his savior's yet a faint part of it is not, and it's longing for something -or someone- it doesn't know anymore, and maybe it just wants everything to end so it can finally rest beside them._

"I want you to return."

The Hokage stops him from kneeling down, grabbing him by the arms, looking straight in his eyes.

"I want you to stay here."

 _He should have never let Sasuke leave._

 _Naruto blames himself now, even though he can't forget how Kakashi meddled in their relationship, trying to separate them since the start, putting Sasuke in prison, sending him on a journey of atonement and pushing for their marriage. Maybe he was even behind Sasuke's decision to chase after Kaguya._

 _Yet he was at fault for having foolishly listened to his former sensei, as if he were still a genin in need of approval, even if he was the Hokage and he didn't need anyone's approval anymore, he kept chastising himself those gloomy days when everything seemed bleak and useless, from his life to the village, to everyone around him, everyone who wasn't Sasuke, because Sasuke was the only one that mattered, so he sought his reflection in the liquor he drank alone in his office, wishing that he had kept Sasuke as his personal Anbu, that he hadn't let him marry, that he hadn't gotten married either, that he had kept him by his side forever, only the two of them in his cramped apartment, like two fish in a bowl as small as their whole world._

 _Sometimes he wished he time would turn back time to those days, or even earlier._

 _Most times all he could feel was yearning, to see the slender Uchiha behind him as his guard, black fabric contrasting with the paleness of his arm, to feel his smooth skin and sharp edges, to press him against a surface and crush him with his body._

"You know that it's impossible," Sasuke calmly replies, "As stated in my report, I found evidence of creatures whose chakra signature is directly related to Kaguya."

 _Deep down inside Naruto has always known that, if given the choice, Sasuke wouldn't stay in Konoha. Or with him. Deep down inside it's scary and full of anger and jealousy and everything dark and hard to understand, and all he can do is shut them up. Possibly by taking what's his to prove them wrong, leaving marks on him, erasing any trace of anyone who dares stand between them, be it Kakashi, or Itachi, or Kaguya._

"Fuck Kaguya! I need you!"

Naruto growls, shoving Sasuke against the wall, his chakra getting heavier and suffocating, even more than Hashirama's, because there's Kyuubi inside him.

If this happened in a fight Sasuke could shield himself with Susano'o, he could even absorb part of it with his Rinnegan, but this is not a fight, and they're not equals.

 _Not anymore. Not since he lost to him. Not since he became Naruto's thing._

It would be disrespectful towards the one who loves him more than anyone. Even more than Itachi, he always tells him, and he believes his savior's words.

 _Even though they are sharp against his battered soul, like his tanned hands against his body._

* * *

Sasuke disrespected Naruto once.

Their meeting was taking place in a secluded area surrounded by enormous trees, stars shining above them, crickets chirping and owls hooting, as they sat side by side like they had done many times during their genin missions.

He hadn't found anything useful that time, so when Naruto finished reading his report he sighed, then he suggested him to come back every once in a while.

Not really knowing what to say, or not really understanding what the other meant _-Come back to whom, when Orochimaru's hideout had been more of a home than the one he was supposed to share with someone he married to atone for his sins, and why would it matter, when his mission was more important than him?-_ he vaguely replied to tell Sakura that he was sorry.

It was nothing but a customary excuse. He couldn't lie about feeling anything for her and he couldn't fake a strong affection for the fruit of a marriage he had been forced into, with the approval of the Hokage himself, who had even joked about him wanting to restore his clan.

 _He had wanted his father and mother and brother back; he had desperately cried it out to Kakashi, to Naruto, to the one who now wore his clan's crest without being one of it, but they didn't remember, or maybe they did but it didn't matter because he was a traitor who left the village his brother protected, a criminal who needed punishment, a selfish person who abandoned his best friend, and he was so guilty that his savior had every right to become his master and to punish him over and over, in every possible way, including giving him to others to let them have their payback. Like Kakashi, or Sakura._

 _Even though he kept repeating that he belonged to him only._

Naruto's usual dominating presence slipped for a moment as he sighed, his shoulders slumped, muttering an "I should be the one who's sorry" that reflected all the nights he spent drinking in his office, hating himself for having let him leave, then marry, then leave again.

"You should be…" Sasuke echoed, slightly tilting his head, musing.

 _Not a single hint of reproach in his tone, for he'd never do that to his savior and master._

"...Does it mean that you're not?"

Sasuke was smart and good with words. He had been Orochimaru's disciple after all.

"You're wrong," the blond interrupted, "I am. I am very sorry."

For having listened to Kakashi's advice every single day of his life, he repeated inside his mind, not for the rest. He had spent years chasing after him, he had saved him from the darkness, he had promised Itachi that he would take care of him, thus Sasuke belonged to him.

"Hn"

The Uchiha nodded, his thoughts taking him far away, to a place and time Naruto couldn't reach, no matter how deeply he forced himself inside him, and whenever this happened he couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the frustration and anger of being cut off from the one he loved the most, until Kyuubi's chakra flared around him.

For Sasuke it was always hard to come out of his own world, especially after travelling alone for so long, with his thoughts as his only company, no matter how confusing or painful they were, so when the blond reached out to grab him by the shoulder Susano'o rib abruptly formed around the other's black-clad chest, preventing him from getting closer.

It was an automatic reaction born out of necessity, against the unknown dangers he faced in other dimensions, it had nothing to do with the things his savior did to him, for he deserved them.

 _If only, it had something to do with himself. He had told Naruto that his multiple kage bunshin was a jutsu that reflected his loneliness and need for connecting with others; maybe Susano'o reflected his need to shield himself from anything bad, after having been hurt so many times._

Nevertheless, in Naruto's eyes, his friend, his lover, his moon, his property, had just rejected him, and rejection brought him back to his childhood, when everyone shunned him, so much that for a moment he forgot that he had won everyone's acknowledgment, that he was the Hokage, that no one dared reject a hero. Especially not Sasuke, after everything he did for him.

 _Sasuke had proved his loyalty many times, when Naruto forced himself on him and he called him Hokage-sama and showed him the respect a subordinate shows to his leader, or a slave shows to his master. Yet it never seemed enough, for Naruto's mind got off on his power over Sasuke, just like his body craved to crush the other's under its hold, just like his soul strived to dominate the Uchiha's._

Oozing killing intent, Kyuubi's chakra shielded its vessel, melting Susano'o like an acid, just like it did during their final blow at the Valley Of The End. Eyes red and glowing, Naruto growled:

"You still don't accept me?"

The more his venomous chakra melted Sasuke's defense, the deeper it seeped through; even moreso when the Uchiha used his Rinnegan to absorb part of it to reduce its impact.

"You still don't accept _all_ of me?"

He kept repeating, not noticing _-or not caring-_ that he was poisoning his friend, that he was making his Rinnegan eye bleed, that he was making him cough blood.

 _That if he didn't stop he would have killed him, but that was impossible because he loved Sasuke, so much that he had never given up on him, so much that he would have died with him, so much that he had saved him. So much that he couldn't live without him._

"You still don't accept all of me after _everything_ I did for you?"

If Sasuke's mind hadn't been torn apart by manipulation, guilt and loneliness, he would have pointed out that it was the opposite: while he had always accepted others as they were, especially Naruto, his friend had never done the same. If he had, he would have stopped Kakashi from imprisoning him, from forcing him to get married, from dismissing his ideals like trash. If he had he wouldn't have forced himself and his own ideals on him, even now that he had stopped rebelling, having been taught what the place of a traitor and a criminal really was. Yet he didn't say anything, because those ideas were just as bad as the person he was, just as dangerous as Naruto's reaction would have been.

Not that he was afraid; he needed to be humiliated and hurt by the one to whom he swore loyalty.

 _If he still had some remnants of self-preservation it was only out of respect towards Itachi's sacrifice, out of gratitude towards Naruto's efforts to bring him back._

 _Deep down, he would have preferred Susano'o not to activate itself automatically._

 _Deep down, he would have preferred to let Naruto melt him away._

 _Deep down, he would have preferred to be finally free._

* * *

Leaning against the wall where he was shoved, his naked shoulders slightly hunched, his head tilted downwards as he looks up to the other, Sasuke speaks with a low yet determined voice.

"I can't. I'm doing what I have to do to atone for my sins. Most of it all, I do what I have to do to protect _your_ world. The peaceful world that _you_ built."

 _Not our world, not the world we built. After all, why would a hero build anything with a traitor?_

"I know but...I feel like I'm going crazy without you here with me," Naruto replies, placing both arms against the wall, "I feel like it's just me and you, alone, in the world, and if you aren't here it's...just me."

The Uchiha opens his mouth but he doesn't let him speak.

"Without you here I don't give a damn about anything else!"

 _And anyone._

His fist hits the wall, close to Sasuke's face, yet he doesn't even flinch.

 _Naruto can do anything he wants to him. Not only because he deserves it, but also because he must love him really much, if he feels that way._

"I know…"

Sasuke's words are barely audible as they escape his lips. He looks away for a moment, to the memories of his past.

 _He knows that feeling more than anyone: he was ready to destroy the village and its people because of it. He defended that same village during the war because of it._

"...But you're no longer alone," he continues, his voice firmer, "Or you don't give a damn about your sons either, Hokage-sama?"

Sasuke would never reproach his savior and master, yet he must convince him to not overlook something as important as knowing their enemy before they'll attack.

Because they will.

Aborting his mission now would put Konoha in danger later, and he can't let that happen.

It's his purpose, repaying Naruto who saved him.

It's his purpose, protecting the world from the shadows like Itachi did before.

Even though he should have been careful to not irritate the blond, who doesn't understand that erasing his brother from his heart is impossible, no matter what Itachi did _to_ him, no matter what Naruto did _for_ him.

 _Sometimes Naruto wished he were the dense kid who didn't understand deep concepts, such as Sakura used to define him; back then he had played along, his need to have some sort of relationship being stronger than his pride, but he had always been perfectly aware._

 _That's why he suffered._

 _That's why he was so desperate to have Sasuke, always lost in his own thoughts, in his own world, to notice him, to not leave the village, then to return, because he had waited for him to move on from Itachi but it never happened. Not even now._

 _That's why he suffered._

"You wanted to destroy this village and everyone inside it...don't tell me you care."

Sasuke looks down for a moment, shame and regret for having been a traitor, for having caused pain to his one and only friend, lingering in his eyes even as he looks up again.

 _His self-loathing, his shame, his regrets don't matter._

 _His pain once that he'll be punished by his master doesn't matter._

 _What matters is the peace his brother dreamed of, what matters is the world his one and only friend is ruling now._

"You're doing it for _him,_ don't you? You still love _him_ more, don't you?"

Naruto roars, his look feral as his hand strokes Sasuke's arm from his shoulder down.

"Maybe," he continues, a sadistic gleam distorting his features, "You need a reminder of what he did to you…"

 _He deserves to be punished anyway._

 _He belongs to Naruto. It was his brother who entrusted him to the blond, for his own good._

 _No matter how painful it is._

His touch is light on the Uchiha's wrist, right before he breaks it.

Sasuke lets out a pained gasp, while his mismatched eyes, widened in shock, are fixed on the blond's blue ones.

"I was there too...Do you remember?"

Naruto says, taking a step back, loosening his grip on the Uchiha's broken wrist but not letting it go.

"You screamed when he broke your wrist..."

He muses out loud. Sasuke can't suppress a pained whimper, and another strangled gasp when the others kicks him in the chest with such force that he's thrown against the wall.

"Then he sent you flying against the wall, do you remember?" he continues reminiscing, "And I wanted to help you so badly but you yelled at me to back off, hell you even yelled at Jiraiya to back off, because that was your fight…"

Sasuke is hunched on the floor. Despite his hand is limp and unresponsive, his arm is favoring his midsection, as his ribs are bruised, maybe worse.

Just like that day.

"You couldn't even stand up but you said that that _he_ was yours…"

Naruto's eyes are icy cold and burning hot at the same time, unfocused yet extremely focused.

"He was yours, while I didn't exist, even if I wanted to help you."

He lifts Sasuke up by the arm, ignoring the pain in his breathing and in his look.

 _Or getting off it._

"It was always about him! Even now, it's still about him!"

Sasuke doubles over, coughing blood, when the blond punches him in the stomach.

Just like that day.

"He destroyed your life...he destroyed you! I saved you, but you still prefer him!"

Sasuke has neither strength nor will to defend himself when Naruto elbows him in the back of his neck. Just like that day.

Then he lands another punch in his gut and a knee to his side that sends him on the floor again, with no chance to get up, with a missing arm and a broken wrist.

 _Naruto's words are cruel against Itachi's memory, the only thing Sasuke has left of him._

 _In the past he would have made him take back each and every word, but now it's different, and not only because he is loyal to the one who saved him -the one his brother trusted- but also because as he lies on the ground, finding it hard to even breathe, a body and his taunting voice looming over him, his mind is flooded with other voices taunting him, calling him traitor, traitor, and his body is aching, unable to stand up, from other kicks and punches that maybe occurred during the years with Orochimaru, maybe during a fight. Maybe in jail._

 _He's not sure. His memory is blurred. His mind is blurred. His whole life is blurred._

 _Only his loyalty to Naruto is not. No matter what he does to him._

Naruto places his feet on Sasuke's back.

"Itachi did this to you, Sasuke."

He says in a low voice, as he roughly turns him around, to make him lie on his back.

"Itachi did all this to you. I saw him because I was there too."

He pauses for a moment, to stand still, in silence, mesmerized by Sasuke's beauty.

How can he be so beautiful when his eyes are half closed in a grimace of pain, and there's blood at the corners of his mouth?

How can blood and sufferng look so alluring on the Uchiha, and how can their sight be so addicting? Naruto wonders as his foot experimentally traces Sasuke's chest and stomach, before he speaks again.

"You heard me. Itachi did this. I would _never_ do this to you."

He grabs the other by the throat and lifts him up. Just like that day.

"What I did was to make you understand how much he hurt you. Do you get it?"

Not receiving an answer, he slams Sasuke's lithe body against the wall. Just like that day.

"What I did….what I'm doing, is trying to be close to you, during the only time I can spend with you, because of this damn mission."

He hisses, leaning on Sasuke, who winces at the prolonged contact because his ribs are hurt. Just like that day.

 _Itachi used Tsukuyomi to kill their parents over and over, in his mind._

 _Naruto uses words and hands and feet to kill Itachi over and over, in his body, mind and soul._

"What I'm doing is showing you how much I love you," Naruto whispers in his ear, "because I love you more than your brother ever did..."

Sasuke shudders, whether from his hot breath over his sensitive skin or from his cold words, the blond doesn't care. He loves it anyway.

"Itachi destroyed your life. He _destroyed_ you. I _saved_ you."

He forgets that if it weren't for Itachi, Sasuke wouldn't even be alive.

Sasuke didn't forget, but the cognitive dissonance between what he remembers and what they told him and what Naruto tells him, clouds his mind and breaks his heart.

"Every day, every night, I was thinking about bringing you back...You, instead, you weren't thinking about me at all," he whispers, his lips brushing the Uchiha's ear and jawline, his leg parting the other's thighs, his body leaning on him, "You were only thinking about your brother. You betrayed your comrades. You gave yourself to that disgusting snake. You joined Akatsuki. You threatened this village...everything for your brother..."

He steals a kiss from Sasuke's semi-parted lips, trying to take in some air.

 _Naruto remembers the way Itachi leaned on Sasuke and how close they were. Back then he was so naive and scared that he hadn't thought of anything beside how badly he wanted the older Uchiha leave his friend and disappear._

 _As he grew up, remembering that moment, he realized that they seemed to be kissing._

 _He still wanted Itachi to disappear from Sasuke's life though._

 _He still wants him to disappear from his mind, for Sasuke belongs to him, as a rival, a friend, as the fire to the wind, as the moon to the sun, just the two of them in the whole world._

Sasuke's lips are still soft, despite the treatment he just received.

Naruto can taste blood on them and he loves it, just like he loves tasting the power he has over the beautiful man whose eyes are losing focus, whose body is getting limp as he passes out from pain and exhaustion.

He doesn't let him; he slaps his cheek, then the other, so that he'll focus on him again, instead of letting his consciousness go who knows where. Not yet at least.

Before that, he must take what's his and mark it with his seed.

 _And so he does, pressing his lithe body between his muscled one and the wall, one arm draped around his waist, the other digging its nails into the Uchiha's leg._

He is sure that, if there hadn't been other people around that day, Itachi would have done the same.

 _Sometimes he feels that he is like Itachi, after all._

 _A better version of him, because he's alive and healthy, because he's the admired Seventh Hokage, because Sasuke belongs to him._

* * *

Sasuke has woken up in the Hokage's office couch so many times that he's more used to its soft leathery texture and its grey-green color than to the bed he is supposed to share with a wife he never wanted.

 _Did he want this instead? He can't remember, or he can't tell._

 _It wouldn't matter anyway: his brother entrusted him to Naruto who saved him._

 _Only what Naruto wants matters._

When he opens his eyes his wrist isn't hurting anymore.

He looks around, his eyes drawn to the light of the lamp on the Hokage table. Naruto is sitting there, massaging his temple while writing something, occasionally eyeing a few scrolls haphazardly unrolled all around him.

From the large window the moonlight shines on his back, unnoticed.

There is no trace of anything that happened earlier, his coat and waistcoat are on the hanger, near the Hokage hat. His shirt is on him, yet only two buttons are securing it around his body, showing his collarbone and part of his chest and stomach, that are still hurting, just like his face and lower half.

 _His mouth and lips haven't been cleaned of the blood and he can feel his cheekbone throbbing from the punches he received, and his leg burning where Naruto dug his nails in._

 _He usually awakens with the blond laying beside him, lazily playing with his hair, tracing the contours of his face or tending to his wounds, telling him that he enjoys taking care of him because he loves him. Today is different._

 _He wonders if his friend lost his patience with an unworthy criminal like him._

 _He wonders if his savior doesn't love him anymore._

 _He wonders if his owner doesn't need him anymore._

 _He wonders if he would be free or lost without him._

The Hokage's eyes leave the paperwork as soon as he hears Sasuke hissing, as he props himself up.

 _He loves to tend after Sasuke's wounds, cleaning the blood off of him, healing him with Kyuubi's chakra and the ability he obtained from the Sage of Sixth Paths, but he also loves when Sasuke hisses and groans after he's done with him, because every jolt of pain and every throbbing are a reminder of him, who caused them, and a sign of his power over him, as his hands can be light as feathers or heavy like iron._

In the Lightning Country a natural disaster brought casualties and destruction in several villages. The former Raikage would have never asked for help but Darui humbly requested assistance, hence in order to deal with the emergency Naruto had to rearrange teams and missions, he explains, putting his seal on the scroll and closing it.

 _That's why he hadn't finished healing him then._

Sasuke asks, his voice hoarse, if he's required there as well.

 _During his journey he helped rebuild small villages destroyed by the war, without villagers knowing anything about Kaguya, Obito, Madara, Naruto. Or him, a criminal, a traitor who had killed his brother and betrayed the friend who never gave up on him._

 _There were times he wished that he could settle in one of those forgotten places, until guilt and self loathing made him move again, to help more people, to atone for more sins._

Naruto shakes his head; the team will consist of medics, except for its leader, Yamato, whose kekkei genkai will be crucial for rebuilding homes and structures.

"You'll keep searching for Kaguya's traces in other dimensions."

Sasuke bows his head slightly, in acknowledgement of the Hokage's order.

 _He'll still be able to protect the village, to atone for his sins, prove Naruto his loyalty, to honor Itachi's wish._

 _The pain he feels all over his body is a little price to pay for such good news._

"But," he continues, "There are going to be some changes in your mission."

The Hokage speaks again, with the voice, firm and calm, of someone used to exercise his authority.

 _Of someone who realized that he doesn't need people's approval anymore._

"You're required to report every two months, and the meeting will take place here"

No more clearings, no more woods, no more caves, no more crickets and owls around them.

"Once in Konoha you're required to stay for a whole month," he explains, "in order to restore your chakra reserve more effectively."

Sasuke opens his mouth but the blond doesn't let him speak. He stares at him intensely, with a look that is neither angry nor tender. Or that is both, and much more.

"During your stay you'll be assigned another mission. You'll train my son."

 _Naruto hardly tells him about his sons; their encounters are just about them._

 _That's why he hates to be reminded of anyone who got close to Sasuke._

 _That's why he hates to be reminded of Itachi._

The Uchiha is visibly confused: to him, Naruto's sons are faces on a picture on the Hokage's table, that he never really looked at, his vision being too blurred and his body too strained to focus on it, as the Seventh fucks him right there.

 _He doesn't even remember his own daughter's face._

 _He doesn't remember most faces, villagers and other shinobi all look the same to him._

 _Maybe it's because most wear their uniform, or maybe because he once saw them as a single entity with no brain, only guided by what their weak corrupt leaders ordered them, but that was part of his criminal past, before he had been imprisoned, before he had been taught how wrong he was._

"Yes, Hokage-Sama."

He solemnly replies.

After everything Naruto did for him he only exists to serve him, so if his savior wants him to teach his son he will.

 _It's an honor, for a former criminal like him, to mentor the son of the Seventh Hokage._

 _Even though it means that he'll have to stay in the village, that he'll have to return to the home he shares with a family he never wanted._

Someone knocks at the door, announcing an urgent communication by the Mizukage about the Five Countries' aid to the Lightning Country. Two women enter the room, each one carrying a pile of documents, both giggling when Naruto makes a snarky remark about Chojurou's fastidiousness.

No longer being the Hokage's personal Anbu, Sasuke gets up from the couch to let them work, as etiquette requires. His movement isn't as quick and graceful as usual, the pain he feels being revealed with each step.

As he closes the door behind him he's thinking about a different strategy to search for Kaguya's subordinates, since he'll be in their dimensions less than before, but concentrating is impossible though, as a fit of cough shakes his body from the lungs out.

When it's over he wipes blood from his mouth.

It's not the first time he ends this battered _-Naruto's love is heavy and violent, like the punishment he deserves-_ but it's the first time that, looking at the red stains in his palm, feeling his chest burning, as if the beaten ribs might explode, he thinks that maybe this was how Itachi felt in the end, when he was waiting for his foolish little brother to get strong enough to kill him.

Suddenly everything hurts even more and the floor seems liquid and he's overwhelmed by an ebb of guilt and nausea and fatigue and pain until, for an instant, everything goes black.

* * *

One of the first things Sasuke learned under Orochimaru was to avoid passing out by touching something and focusing on that sensation on his hand.

 _He only cared about getting stronger to achieve his goal, not about what happened to his body, but he needed to be conscious, in case the sannin decided to break his promise and use his body as his vessel before he killed Itachi._

 _On the contrary, he never did this with Naruto, who had every right to do what he wanted to his body, mind and soul._

He leans with his side on the wall and focuses on its not perfectly smooth surface against his hand. He breathes slowly, in and out, trying to stand still and counter another ebb of pain and black nothingness crashing on him.

"Uchiha."

He recognizes Shikamaru's voice before his eyes regain their focus.

The Hokage advisor wasn't supposed to be in the office this late but the emergency in the Lightning Country forced him to stay. He was surprised at how well Naruto dealt with it, checking finances, forming a fitting team and rearranging missions, so much that in order to spare him from useless paperwork he decided to deal with another unrelated batch of communications from the Mizukage.

"Nara."

Sasuke echoes.

The advisor narrows his eyes, the way he does when he thinks intensely about something. Or someone, like the man before him.

The Uchiha's voice shouldn't sound so strained, his posture shouldn't be so hunched, his eyes shouldn't look so pained, he thinks, watching him leaning on the wall as if he might fall if he didn't.

His pale skin is painted with color: a bruise on his cheek, darker purple on his throat, blood red on the corners of his mouth and on his collarbone, revealed by his haphazardly buttoned shirt, darker red on his hand.

He wiped blood from his mouth, so he must have some internal injury. He looks like he has been attacked by a beast, one that Shikamaru knows well.

He is aware of the nature of their relationship.

Everyone is.

The old rule of not disclosing what happens in the Hokage building is meant against leaks of classified information, but it's also convenient for the Hokage's little secret, which is only a secret outside the thick round walls and large windows, while inside is often the topic of whispered conversations and quips between the teeth.

As Naruto's advisor and employees' main contact person, Shikamaru scolds them but they point out that it's not their fault: the Seventh doesn't suppress his chakra when Sasuke arrives, its flares can be sensed by the whole building. As well as the noises.

It's not that they judge their leader for having an affair.

In fact they think he's only claiming what's rightfully his, after so much trouble to bring him back. They also think that the Hokage is right in being rough with his _lover_ , for what Shikamaru is looking at now, some of them has seen it too.

He deserves it, they say. He was an arrogant child, then a traitor and a rogue who threatened the village and almost killed his friend. He was arrogant and cold towards them too, as he worked as Anbu.

He deserves to be defeated, submitted and used. The Seventh's bitch, they call him.

The first time he head a shinobi assigned to collect and archive official papers calling Sasuke that way he chuckled too, as the definition was incredibly fitting, for someone who since his return had become Naruto's property.

 _Like a dog, he had become his guard, his personal Anbu, and a tool for release of both his seed and his inner anger._

It was shocking at first, to think that such a sunny person could hide such darkness inside, but it made sense, between Kyuubi sealed inside him and his lonely childhood, Shikamaru realized a long time ago, along with the fact that apparently only Sasuke is able to bring the Seventh's real nature out.

 _There's always a part of darkness in the light, just like there's always a part of light in the darkness._

 _Maybe Sasuke's darkness is able to bring Naruto's out, even though he's a creature of light._

 _Maybe Naruto's light attracted Sasuke's, thus changing his mind when they fought._

 _Maybe the two of them are opposites and complementary._

Most of it all, Shikamaru realized that what happens between them is none of his business.

Some people enjoy inflicting pain, others enjoy feeling it: as far as he knows they found their perfect match, like the sun, perpetually imposing his scorching warmth on the moon, perpetually escaping it yet coming back every time.

Yet he doesn't like what he sees, because it doesn't make sense. The Uchiha doesn't look appeased, only in pain, empty and broken, in body and soul.

 _Shikamaru remembers his meddlesome subordinates' words: he deserves it._

 _He can't argue with that, as Sasuke used to be a source of problems for the village and now that he calmed down and finally became loyal to Konoha he doesn't care about why he changed, and how. Whatever he was put through, he definitely deserved it._

 _Or maybe he didn't. It's hard to tell, when in front of him there's a gaunt man with suffering written all over his pale face, trying to get a hold of himself in order not to fainting and expose his weakness._

 _The only thing the lazy genius can tell is that he needs help. He may be a troublesome guy and a former traitor but he's loyal to the village now, he's a comrade and comrades must be supported._

Sasuke closes his eyes, only for a moment he tells himself, yet that moment is longer than expected, and when he reopens them he's still leaning on the wall, but Shikamaru is closer, his arms reaching out to him, as if were ready to catch him if he fell, his look dead serious, even though his voice sounds vague and embarrassed as he mumbles something.

"Are you alright...is _this_ alright?"

A specific question within an ordinary question, as expected of a genius. The Uchiha's eyes widen as they meet the other man's.

 _The answer to the first question is easy: this is what happens every time he uses his Rinnegan too much._

 _He can't tell him that this is what happens when he makes Naruto angry, and that it happens every time._

The door of the Hokage's office opens as the assistants take their leave.

Naruto greets them with a smile, then he stays by the door, his eyes darkening as they stare at Sasuke's hunched form, then at the one close to him.

"Shikamaru? Is there something else?"

He asks. Shikamaru informs him about the further communications from the Mizukage that he already viewed and replied to. The blond nods, then he goes back inside to fetch a paper that the assistants forgot.

As he's away Sasuke nods too, almost imperceptibly, in reply to the question he has been asked.

 _The answer to the other question is even easier: this is what Naruto wants, he's loyal to Naruto, so this is alright._

Before Shikamaru takes his leave he can't help but notice that thus taller and bigger than Sasuke, with that dangerous gleam in his eyes, Naruto looks like a predator eyeing his prey, as he gestures the Uchiha to come inside.

 _A fox shouldn't be able to catch a hawk unless its wings are broken._

"I'm not done with you yet."

He says, threateningly yet nonchalantly says, as if they were alone in the building. Or in the world.

 _They live in the same world as everyone else yet they're in their own world, where only the two of them exist, like the sun and the moon in the sky, surrounded by stars that are nothing but distant dots._

As the Uchiha is moving slowly, leaning on the wall for support, Naruto grabs him by the wrist and pulls him closer, and Shikamaru muses that maybe all the troubles he took to warnthe shinobi who work about the dangers of gossiping weren't necessary.

 _Naruto clearly doesn't mind hiding his affair. In fact he's flaunting it._

 _He definitely wouldn't care for a little whisper when they pass by, or a few teasing looks when Sasuke addresses him with the respect he never showed anyone._

 _Nevertheless, Kakashi was clear about keeping his reputation as Hokage immaculate or people will stop looking up to him, which would be detrimental for the stability of the village and for Naruto's, since, whether he admits it or not, he feeds on their approval too, even though what he most wants is Sasuke._

 _For a moment Shikamaru wonders if Sasuke wants such intimate details of his personal life to be known by so many people, but on second thought, the Uchiha just replied that "it's alright" for him to come out of the Hokage's room half undressed, exhausted and battered. It's obvious that he doesn't care. He never cared about people anyway, ever since he was a child there was just him and his goal, and now there are just him and Naruto, who somehow tamed him, earning himself the right to do what he wants with him._

 _Besides, he's smart enough to be aware that everyone knows that he belongs to the Seventh by now._

"As you wish, Hokage-Sama."

Sasuke replies, as if he still were his Anbu, Shikamaru silently notices, before reminding himself that it's not his business.

Even when, as he turns around, his peripheral vision registers Naruto grabbing the other by the shoulders, shoving him against the doorframe, and forcing his lips open with his fingers.

 _The Uchiha hisses when his back hits the door frame. His head hangs low until the Seventh pries his mouth open._

Even when he closes the distance between them, pressing him flat against the surface and plunging his tongue in his mouth, his fingers tracing his throat.

 _The Uchiha gasps at the contact. His eyes are closed, his body pliant to his master's whims, yet his moans aren't of pleasure. Not that it stops the Seventh. In fact they seem to obtain the opposite effect, urging the blond closer, faster, tougher on him._

Even when the door closes and the lazy genius hears a loud thud, then another, then another, followed by pained groans and more noises and accusations. Were you trying to leave? He overhears, and Sasuke's voice is too low and broken to make out, unlike Naruto's. Who saved you? Who do you belong to? He roars, and the other replies you saved me, so I belong to you, Hokage-sama.

Shikamaru's experience in relationships doesn't involve hurting and being hurt, so he walks away as fast as he can.

No matter what happens he doesn't want to be involved in their relationship.

He can't afford to form a precise opinion on it, much less to act on it.

He is the Seventh's advisor, supervising all his decisions and coordinating communication. He gets along with Naruto because he doesn't meddle with his personal life, unlike Kakashi, whom he forced to retire.

He wouldn't mind retiring at a young age, but it would be troublesome for his reputation as leader of the Nara clan, as well as for his family.

He can't risk their future because of a former traitor that he never liked, no matter how sorry he feels for him, no matter if he saw a black pit of suffering in his eyes, no matter if no one else will ever stand up for him.

Shikamaru leaves the building, ignoring the flare of chakra that indicates that Kyuubi's come out to play, together with its vessel, both hunting for their prey.

He can't afford to even think about defending the Uchiha. He carries the Will of Fire, he was entrusted by his late sensei to protect the future generations; the future is now the present, for they all have sons now.

Naruto and Sasuke are the past, for even though they are here, their minds are somewhere else, in their own world, in a limbo where only the two of them exist, and as long as the Seventh can do his job it's fine. There's a village to protect and peace to be maintained, for which Naruto must be as stable and focused as he can be, and if to function at his best he needs to let out his dark side on Sasuke, so be it.

They always say that the moon needs the sun but it's the opposite.

If the sun is too bright it will burn everything and everyone it shines on.

That's why the moon exists; not only to illuminate the dark, cold night sky, but also to take the sun's excessive light upon its battered surface.

That's why eclipses happen.

That's why _their_ meetings happen.

The sun needs the moon, and the sky, and the earth, need them both.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _The underlying themes, so to speak, are the moonlight/moonsun like the first chapter, and, as suggested by the song I quoted, how Naruto and Sasuke are on a different, isolated world, compared to everyone else. They're the strongest, they're the sun and the moon, it's really like they're alone in a fishbowl, even though Sasuke's mind can't put the love for Itachi aside. Besides, I saw an old painting of two fish in a bowl, reminding of the yin and yang symbol._**

 ** _I like writing calm adult Naruto, no longer loud and messy, used to rule and good at his job, be it fighting or paperwork or organizing people. He had this in him, in part 2 whenever he's really under pressure he becomes calm and confident, unlike Sasuke who's usually calm and detached, but when really pushed into a corner he becomes reckless and emotional, like when Itachi is involved directly or indirectly, or during the final fight, where Naruto was clearly calmer._**

 ** _This adult Naruto is also jaded and angry at himself, drinking when Sasuke isn't there, and Sasuke is disillusioned about his past ideals, still brainwashed, broken beyond repair and loyal to his savior, so much that for a moment he feels lost, thinking that he might not want him anymore._**

 ** _Naruto's behavior is totally paranoid, from blaming Kakashi of everything (when he could have refused to do as he suggested/ordered) and forcing him away, to blaming Itachi. In canon Naruto admires Itachi, and during the final fight he used Itachi's ideals against Sasuke. In this fic, now that Sasuke is loyal to him and he lives his obsession fully, everyone is a threat, especially Itachi who had so much power over Sasuke, which is what he most wants. Re-enacting the inn scene is a very dark and emotionally intense moment, where Naruto's darkness is completely unleashed revealing his sadistic yet desperate side, and Sasuke's soul is broken even further. Needless to say, what Naruto says about Itachi isn't what I think, in fact he repeats some of the anti-Itachi criticism I read around._**

 ** _I don't see Naruto and Sasuke as equals, like I said before. I read somewhere that Naruto is slightly stronger because of Kyuubi's chakra but Sasuke is smarter. I don't know the source but this is how I see them. Naruto's stamina and chakra make him stronger. Sasuke is faster and smarter and more resourceful, but still less strong in terms of raw power, and I like this. I prefer Sasuke to be the smarter strategic one who can't endlessly fight, he's much better the way he is, fighting with all himself, accurate and graceful, and getting exhausted and having to rest and get some chakra back. Isn't he like this in canon anyway? What's this equality everywhere, the main character is always stronger, the best character doesn't have to be, it's much better this way._**

 ** _The hands like feathers/iron thing is a quote from an old movie that only a few people from my country will get, since the movie was a comical one, but out of context it worked well with my story._**

 ** _The way I see him, Sasuke isn't the type to be ashamed of himself for things like using his body as a tool to achieve his goal, not meaning he'd be slutty or flirty, but if he had to give his body to someone he would, no matter the AU and the context, so I added some past Orosasu mentions because it doesn't make him less pure, only more determined and less interested in himself, as he never cared about his own body and his own needs._**

 ** _I wrote the final scene through Shikamaru's eyes because I kinda like this rare pairing and I liked writing his interaction with Sasuke in chapter 2. I enjoyed writing their moment because it's detached and vague, apparently, but it's sharp and deep instead, like they are._**

 ** _Mostly, I wanted to show the difference between Naruto and Sasuke's world and everyone else's. Shikamaru is a sort of bridge, between them and common shinobi who gossip about them, who have prejudices against Sasuke and who are ok with Naruto abusing him. He has his own opinion, he feels sorry for Sasuke and would even try to help him, but he puts his duty first, he must protect the younger generation as he promised Asuma. In this sense he's like Kakashi, willingly sacrificing Sasuke to Naruto for the greater good, but he's less troubled and traumatized than Kakashi._**

 ** _From a writing point of view I wrote it to give the ending a vague quality, as fitting as two characters lost in their own world, not caring about anyone else, lost in their own world, no matter how dark it is._**

 ** _As I mentioned before I wrote some details foreshadowing the sequel, who knows if someone will find them. I can't wait to write the sequel, anyway, because I love the idea and I can already say that it's going to be really, really dark too. Maybe even darker._**

 ** _In the meantime, I hope you liked this chapter and the whole story, it's definitely not for everyone._**


End file.
